


Where The Green Grass Grows

by GlassesEmoji



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Onegai Teacher
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, M/M, Minor Character Death, Original Character Death(s), Romance, Trans Male Character, Very Minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 01:23:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7824706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassesEmoji/pseuds/GlassesEmoji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shoichi Irie was a normal kid until he one day he gets hit by an unusual, untreatable disease that causes him to fall into comas when he's stressed or depressed. He learns to live with it and life becomes a lot better for him until suddenly an alien is thrown into the mix. A really handsome alien, at that.</p><p>An AU based on the anime Onegai Teacher. (No prior knowledge is needed about Onegai Teacher to enjoy this fic!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all. This fic is the reason I made an AO3 account in the first place. This fic is my pride and joy, and has been since I wrote it about two years ago. I really hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Shoichi is a trans male in this story.

It was summer, right in the middle of August. The clock read 2:03 am in bright green, glowing numbers as Shoichi grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and headed toward the front door. There was a note for Shamal left on the coffee table saying he was going on a bike ride. Better safe than sorry, right? The doctor’s voice rang in his head as he gently shut the door behind him. _‘For crying out loud, you’re 21 years old, you don’t have to tell me where you’re going,’_ he would constantly say.

But Shoichi was a cautious person, so he always did it just in case.

His bike was leaned against the side of the building, a clinic, run by his adoptive guardian, Shamal. The man was an unapologetic womanizer, but he took Shoichi in when no one else would, and he took good care of him. 

He rolled his bike to the street, threw his leg over it, and rode. 

He lived in the countryside, and honestly, it was beautiful here. He often thought of his town as something left behind by the times, all rolling green grass, trees, tiny, quaint apartments. This was the perfect place for him. He would never think about going back to the city.

Night life chirped and buzzed around him, the pavement shiny and wet from an earlier rain. The scent of wet earth filled his senses, the air humid and damp. He hated the heat, but this time, he’d tolerate it.

He was headed to the lake, one of his favorite spots in the whole world. Nobody else really went down there, except for the occasional family having a a picnic. It was quiet and peaceful, a perfect spot for when his anxiety was bad and just wanted a place to be alone, to get his thoughts together. Tonight was not such a situation, but the night was calling to him, and he longed to be outside. He was a night owl, everyone said so.

He passed his friends’ houses, one by one. Tsuna’s bedroom light was still on, probably playing video games. He could see Haru was also still up. All was dark and quiet at Kyoko and Ryohei’s house, and Yamamoto seemed to be asleep, too. He debated on stopping to see if Tsuna wanted some company, but decided against it. He wanted to be alone.  
He made it to the lake about fifteen minutes later and set it on the kickstand in the grass. He laid down, regretting it immediately when he felt his shirt and jeans start to get wet, but decided against moving. He’d deal with it.

His arms behind his head, he turned his gaze starward and lost himself in space, trying to find all the different constellations. He loved space. He loved the universe. He loved all the beauty to be found, all the beauty yet to be found…the mystery, the vastness. He supposed most would be scared by it, but he found it comforting.

He wasn’t sure when it happened, but suddenly he felt something wet on his face. He groaned and opened his eyes, rousing himself awake, as if he’d been asleep.

“Oh no, did I do it again?” he muttered, sitting up. He looked at his cell phone, and was relieved to see it was still the same night; he’d only been out for a couple hours. 

“Thank God,” he whispered. He put the phone in his pocket before it got too wet from the rain now falling. He needed to get back home; the last thing he needed was to catch a cold. He stretched, and just as he was about to turn toward his bike, something across the lake caught his attention.

A pulsing light.

At first he thought it was a flashlight - some teenagers frog hunting across the lake, perhaps? He squinted, trying to make it out. Everything was hazy and foggy from the rain and heat, so he could barely make it out…but something was there. And it was huge. A dark mass just barely standing out against the dark night, with a small, pulsing light.

He quickly took off his glasses and wiped the rain flecks off of them so maybe he stood a chance at seeing better, but of course that was in vain in a couple seconds. 

The light got bigger, and brighter, and for a second, Shoichi could see exactly what it was.

It was a space ship.

It was a space ship, and it was landing in the lake!

“Eh?! What the hell?!” he yelled, stumbling backwards and tripping over his bike, sending him backwards hard and fast. Water soaked into the seat of his jeans, but he barely noticed it.

More lights came on, illuminating the scene perfectly now, the light reflecting off the shimmering surface of the lake like a romantic dream. It started making blaring noises, so loud, and he was sure it was only because they were in the middle of nowhere, nearly twenty minutes away from civilization, that people weren’t suddenly surrounding them on all sides.

 _“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!”_ he chanted, standing up.

Waves were crashing against the shore now, hard and fast, the ship sinking deeper and deeper into its depths. He realized now whoever was piloting this ship was intending to hide their craft in the water.

But then how would they get out?

Only the very top of the ship was visible now. In another ten seconds it would be hidden. The noises and lights were muffled and hidden by the water now. 

“Oh my God,” he said again breathlessly, not sure if he should run or pray. He was shaking, he could feel it, but he couldn’t make his feet move, he was too petrified. 

Suddenly there was a bright light, so bright, and Shoichi had to shield his eyes, trying to glare in between his fingers to see what was happening. The light was only about ten feet from him, in a beam, coming from he-couldn’t-tell-where.

The form of a man started to appear. Shoichi couldn’t see anything except a slender jaw line, a tall, tall figure, wavy hair, and light green eyes.

Which looked directly at him.

Shoichi held the eye contact for several seconds. His heart was racing. Everything suddenly seemed so muted. He was shaking, this being was staring directly at him, and nobody was moving. 

Then he turned tail and ran, wrenched his feet from the mud and ran harder than he’d ever ran in his life. His footfalls beat hard against the wet asphalt, and his breath came in hard, ragged gasps. 

He ran all the way home to the clinic, and fell against the door, feeling like he’d never be able to catch his breath again.

It wasn’t until later, after he’d finally climbed into bed in an exhausted mess, that he realized he’d left his bike at the lake.


	2. Chapter 2

He was woken from the dark comfort of a dreamless sleep by something colliding with his face. He groaned loudly and tried to shake it off, but whatever it was kept hitting him.

“Get off,” he slurred, putting a hand in front of his face. 

“Then how about you wake up?” came the voice of Shamal. He groaned even louder. Hearing his voice first thing in the morning tended to be unpleasant when his head was throbbing. Why did his head hurt?

He forced his eyes open and squinted. Everything was a bit fuzzy, but he could see Shamal standing by his bed, holding a pillow. He reached onto his bedside table, searching for his glasses. He came up empty, his fingers only meeting with smooth, cool wood.

“Looking for these?” Shamal asked, handing him the light blue frames. “They were on the floor.”

“Oh…I wonder why,” Shoichi said, putting them on. “Why are you in my room, and why are you hitting me with a pillow?”

“You probably went to bed with your glasses on after being out until four am,” Shamal said, crossing his arms.

“Huh?” Something nagged at his memory, something he felt like he should remember…

“I was with a lovely lady last night, and after you came stomping into the house, she woke up and left after realizing what hour it was.” He sounded so obnoxiously upset by this, and Shoichi was getting irritated. What was he forgetting?!

“And then I see mud tracked all over the floors, and wake up today to soaking wet clothes in the bathroom. Now unless you were getting laid in the rain, I demand an explanation.”

Soaking wet clothes?

Suddenly it hit him, hard and fast, and he gasped, feeling his eyes widen as everything came flooding back, leaving him feeling cold. The light, the space ship, the being he made eye contact with.

His forgotten bike.

“Oh man!” he said, jumping out of bed. “I have to get to the lake!”

“You’re guilty of something, Shoichi!” Shamal said teasingly, following him to the bathroom before Shoichi slammed the door in his face. “What’s his name?”

“Nobody! There is no guy! I have to - I have to go!”

“I still think you were getting laid,” Shamal said.

“You know I’m asexual, and for the love of God, stop talking to me through the door!” Shoichi griped. He heard Shamal laugh and footsteps leading away down the hallway.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. Messy red hair, fair skin with freckles, dark green eyes, and a thin frame. He looked a lot better than he felt. What was he thinking going out that late on a school night? He was so tired.

He hurried through his morning routine and threw on some clothes. He haphazardly brushed his hair and grabbed an Eggo waffle out of the freezer to munch on on the way to school

“I don’t know what’s going on with you, but don’t forget your appointment in a couple days,” Shamal said, drinking out of a large mug of coffee.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. He downed a couple aspirin to get rid of the pounding in his head. “I’m off to school.”

“See you later. If you see a sock on the door, then - “

“Oh, don’t!” He slammed the door before he could hear any more of Shamal’s sentence and took off down the street. He ran toward school, seriously debating on doing an about-face and going toward the lake instead, to see if there was any evidence of what happened last night, and maybe if his bike was still there.

Suddenly he saw some familiar figures up ahead and dashed to catch up. He’d go to the lake after school, he decided. “Tsuna! Gokudera!”

Both turned. “Hey, Shoichi!” Tsuna said. 

“You look like crap,” Gokudera said bluntly.

“Yeah, I was up late,” Shoichi said, running fingers through his hair. They were all in class together, freshman at the local, tiny university. Summer break had just ended a couple weeks ago, and they had come back from whatever couples’ vacation they’d been on. Tsuna’s skin had tanned slightly from all the sun, but his fluffy brown hair, gentle smile, and big, brown eyes were the same as ever. Gokudera was a contrast - pale, with silver hair, and light green eyes, also towering a good several inches over Tsuna now.

Thinking about Gokudera’s green eyes reminded him again of last night, and his heart started pounding, though it wasn’t in fear. Who had that man been? He couldn’t get him out of his mind.

“Shoichi, you’re blushing,” Tsuna said. Shoichi snapped out of his daze, realizing Tsuna had been talking to him.

“I’m sorry, what?” he asked.

“What are you so preoccupied with?” Gokudera smirked.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to shake them off. “Though I have a question. Did either of you see anything by the lake last night?”

“Nope,” Gokudera said. 

“No,” Tsuna added. “Why?”

“Ah, no reason. Just curious.”

He could see the school building in the distance now, large crowds of students flocking on the lawn, their chatter and laughter echoing across the distance between them.   
He was feeling a lot better as he slid into his seat for class, as the pain in his head had finally abated; thank you, Ibuprofen. A group of girls were talking behind him, and he took in what they were saying without really absorbing it.

“Yeah, I saw him when my dad went to pick up his car this morning, he’s really cute,” one said.

“A hot mechanic, that’s a new one,” another said. “I’m gonna have to swing into town today to take a look.”

Their teacher walked into class, and conversation subsided. Shoichi was anxious all day for class to end, just wanting to get to the lake already to investigate, but of course Shamal had to ruin his plans. As soon as he stepped out of his final class, his cell rang.

“Hello?” he said, stepping out into the noisy hallways. He plugged one ear to try to hear better.

“Oi,” Shamal said. “I have to run into town today, my car is acting funny.”

“…congratulations?” Shoichi asked, confused. “Normally you just send me a text about these things.”

“So I want you to come with me,” he said. “You’re good at math, if the mechanic tries to rip me off, you’ll know.”

“For the love of…I wanted to go to the lake!” Shoichi said in protest.

“What’s there?”

“My bike, for one,” Shoichi said. “I left it there last night.”

Silence on the other end for several seconds. “You ran all the way home?” Shamal asked.

“It’s a…long story,” Shoichi sighed, outside now. He could hear better.

“Listen, if you come with me, I’ll buy you dinner and drop you off at the lake when we’re done,” Shamal pleaded.

“Alright, alright,” he agreed, not saying anything about the fact that he didn’t know jack about cars, therefore he wouldn’t be of any help to Shamal, but food was involved, so he kept it zipped. “I’ll meet you in front of the school?”

He hung up and leaned against a tree, idly watching the street until he saw Shamal’s car pull up. The only reason why he ever agreed to ride in this car is because he made the doctor promise him he’d never have sex in the driver or passenger seats. One of a few promises made to Shoichi and his family, actually. Shamal was many things, but he at least stuck to his word.

They arrived in town in ten short minutes. Everything around was really close by, so it was easy to get around. 

“Apparently this place has a new mechanic,” Shamal said as they stepped simultaneously out of the car.

“This town needs better things to talk about,” Shoichi chuckled, remembering the conversation he’d overheard earlier in class. 

“Be right with you,” called a voice from inside the garage. Shamal leaned against the car and Shoichi stood off to the side, feeling a bit out of place. Then a mechanic walked out into the sunlight, and Shoichi felt his heart go into overdrive.

The man was gorgeous.

Better than gorgeous.

Easily just over six feet, pale skin, soft, blonde hair with a curl on the side of his head. Some kind of tattoo on his neck, and that was worse - tattoos were so aesthetically appealing. Slender jawline, light green eyes that sparkled in the sun, and a slight smile on his lips, which were pressed around a white lollipop stick. He looked reserved in nature, but there was kindness there, Shoichi could tell. 

He was dressed in a dark green mechanic’s suit, unbuttoned a good way down his chest, a white T-Shirt exposed. He had gloves on his hands, and black work boots on his feet.

Shoichi was speechless.

Luckily for him, Shamal didn’t seem to notice. 

“What seems to be the problem?” the mechanic asked, and oh, that voice. A sweet rumble like summer storm thunder. He wanted to be lost in that voice.

Shamal launched into an explanation about his car, and the mechanic turned to look at Shoichi, and for the second time, they made eye contact.

Shoichi felt his heart pound again, and this time for another reason. He recognized those piercing green eyes.

This was the man from the lake.


	3. Chapter 3

_‘Is this for real?!’_ Shoichi thought, his entire body tensed. _‘This is_ him, _I know this is him!’_

The eye contact continued, for how long, he didn’t know. He wrenched his gaze away when he heard Shamal stop talking and hoped he didn’t notice -

His hope faded immediately, looking at the endeared exasperation on his face.

“Seriously?!” he asked. “I’m trying to conduct business, and you two are staring each other like lovesick birds!”

“No we’re not!” Shoichi said defensively.

“Is this the man you were having an affair with last night?” Shamal asked. “I’m not gay, but I can see the appeal. You move fast, Sho.”

“Having an affair involves being in a relationship in the first place, which I’m not!” Shoichi bristled. “And I don’t know this guy! Also, don’t call me Sho!”

“I’m standing right here, you know,” the mechanic said, seeming alarmingly unrattled by any of this. The surprise in his eyes moments ago from recognizing Shoichi was no longer visible, as if it’d never been there.

“So you are,” Shamal said, still grinning at the both of them. “Did you hear anything I said about my car, or should I have my nephew here explain it?”

Shoichi felt his face burn. He fixed his gaze on the blacktop, wishing he’d never come in the first place.

“I heard you,” the blonde said, his voice modulated and calm. “I can have it fixed in forty minutes.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shamal said, brushing hair out of his eyes. “Come Sho, there’s a restaurant down the street.”

“Stop calling me Sho,” Shoichi griped again, rolling his eyes and following the obnoxious doctor down the street. He could feel the mechanic’s eyes on him. He turned around, and sure enough, that light green, narrowed gaze was on him. Shoichi didn’t feel threatened, though. He looked…curious.

He turned his eyes back to the street in front of him. They hadn’t even reached the restaurant entrance when suddenly Shamal was distracted by a brunette woman coming out of a coffee shop.

“My lovely lady, _how are you?”_ he swooned, as if he’d known this woman for years. One of these days, he was going to get slapped in the face, and Shoichi wouldn’t feel an ounce of pity for him. Today wasn’t that day, though. She simply laughed.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

He sighed heavily and continued on. He’d buy food himself and make him pay for pizza next movie night.

He ordered a hot sub and ate it absently, thinking about the mechanic. Who was he? He hadn’t forgotten about that space ship…did that mean he was an alien? Gokudera was always talking about such things, making them watch specials on TV. And while Shoichi never ruled out that their existence could be possible, he never gave it serious, actual thought.

But now…

_‘Well, if he is an alien, TV got it all wrong,’_ Shoichi thought, rolling his wrapper into a ball and sucking down the last of his soda. _‘They never looked that gorgeous in_ anything _I’ve ever watched.’_

The sun was starting to set by the time he made it back outside. Of course Shamal was nowhere in sight. He was the one paying the repair bill on his own car, so he’d better show up soon. 

He ambled over to the shop, hoping Shamal was there, but he couldn’t see him. The mechanic came out of the garage, wiping his hands on a rag.

“Car’s done,” he said. Shoichi blinked and looked at his watch. It had been exactly forty minutes. Wow.

“Ah, thank you,” he said. “He should be back soon. I’m not sure where he went.”

“It’s fine,” he said. They stared at each other again, Shoichi easily getting pulled into his intense gaze. A car honked its horn down the street, and Shoichi pulled his eyes away. Why couldn’t he stop staring at him?!

He saw the way the setting sun was shining on him when he peeked up through his lashes, illuminating his face and hair in splashes of orange, and yeah, that was why.

The silence continued for a minute longer, until, “Can I ask you something?” the mechanic asked. Shoichi’s heart raced.

“Yeah?”

“You were at the lake the other night, weren’t you?” The man’s gaze was different now, hard and calculating. For the first time since the lake, Shoichi felt scared.

“Uh…”

He should lie. It would be useless, but he should lie. But suddenly, he felt something…a tickling in his head. He scratched at his hair, but it didn’t go away. Suddenly, like a fuzzy movie, he saw images from that night replaying in his mind, behind his eyelids that he didn’t realize were squeezed shut.

It was over as quickly as it had started, and Shoichi stumbled backward, his eyes flying open. The blonde looked dangerous now.

“It _was_ you,” he said, his low voice menacing now. This guy could read minds?!

“It…it was an accident!” he pleaded. “I didn’t mean to!”

The tall man took a step toward him, but suddenly:

“Shooo~” came an obnoxious voice, and Shoichi had never been more relieved to see Shamal. He had in his hand what looked like a phone number scribbled on a napkin. “Sorry I’m late! Business called!”

The mechanic’s demeanor remained cold and distant as he finished the transaction. He brought out Shamal’s car and disappeared into the garage without another word. Shoichi was paranoid that the mechanic had compromised the car in some way - but they got home just fine.

“Oh, shoot,” Shamal said once he parked. “I forgot to drive you to the lake.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine!” Shoichi panicked, not wanting to be alone at the moment. “I’ll take care of it later. It’s just a bike, after all.”

Shamal stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Shoichi could tell Shamal knew he was acting strangely, and was debating on asking about it. “Fine, but if it gets stolen, don’t ask me   
for a new one,” he said finally.

They went inside and Shoichi called Haru, just for something to distract him.

****

Talking to his best friend helped calm him down, but he still went to bed feeling jittery. He locked his bedroom window, knowing in the end it was pointless because the man could teleport, but he felt safe doing it anyway. After Shamal went to bed, he made sure all doors and windows were locked. Then he crawled into bed and said a silent prayer to whatever Heavenly body would listen that he not die tonight, or any night, just because he accidentally saw an alien land at the lake.

_‘After all, I was here first, he should leave,’_ he thought, curling up. The logic didn’t really comfort him, but his inner snark helped him smile a bit.

He was just starting to drift off when suddenly there was a bright light at the foot of his bed. He sat bolt upright and stared as, sure enough, the mechanic materialized in his room, looking just as beautiful as ever, even though at this moment, Shoichi feared for his life.

“Go away!” he yelled, backing up against his headboard.

“Can’t do that,” the man said, climbing onto the foot of his bed. The mattress sank as he crawled toward him, and Shoichi flinched, closing his eyes. He should scream, but his chest felt too tight. He was close to tears. He could feel the burning in his sinuses.

“Who have you told?” he asked, his voice a deadly whisper.

“N-Nobody!” Shoichi squeaked. “Read my mind if you have to, I haven’t said a thing!”

A calculating hum in response, as if he was assessing him. He didn’t feel the tickling in his head again, so maybe he believed him?

“If you tell anybody, it could compromise my mission,” the man said, and this time his voice sounded…softer.

“What mission?” Shoichi asked, opening his eyes just slightly. His face looked…sad. Pleading.

“To study earth,” he said. “I love earth and humans, and the technology here. I was given permission from my squad leader to come here. If anyone finds out I was seen, I’ll be sent back. I’m supposed to blend in, be as non-invasive as possible. I chose a remote area to land, not expecting anybody to see me.”

Shoichi was looking at him fully now. Just a couple minutes ago, he feared for his life. And now this…guy…alien?…was begging him not to say anything. Oh, have the tables turned.

“I was just star-gazing that night,” Shoichi said. “And then I went into a s - I mean, I just…I fell asleep. I’m just an innocent bystander.”

“Will you tell anyone?” he asked.

“No, I promise,” Shoichi said, his thin frame relaxing a bit now. And really, it never was his intention to say anything. After all, who would believe him?

“Thank you,” the blonde breathed in relief. “I’m sorry I scared you. I had to use intimidation tactics.”

Shoichi was taken aback. “You had to…next time, just ask.” He chuckled lightly.

“Okay.” The blonde smiled. “I’m Spanner, by the way.”

“Is that an alias you chose because you’re masquerading as a mechanic?” Shoichi asked. “That’s pretty clever.”

“Not masquerading, I am a mechanic, on my planet,” he said. “So I took a job as one here, too.”

“I see,” he said, starting to feel fond of Spanner already. “I’m Shoichi.”

“Shoichi, not Sho,” Spanner said, as if he was making a mental note. But with the way ‘Sho’ sounded in that honey voice, he wasn’t sure if ‘Shoichi, not Sho’ would continue to be a thing.

“So I guess I should leave then,” Spanner said, glancing toward the door. “Before your uncle wakes up.”

“He’s not really my uncle,” Shoichi said. “Just a friend of my late mother’s.”

“You’re adopted?” Spanner asked.

“Yeah,” Shoichi said. “My mother was ill, and before she passed away, she made that silly doctor promise to take care of me. He was the only family friend she had. My real dad passed away when I was a baby, and my older sister lives in Italy.” 

He had no idea why he was telling all of this to Spanner. He’d never spilled this much to himself to someone so quickly, but, something about Spanner…he just felt comfortable. Spanner’s light green eyes were fixed on him, his expression a mixture of sympathy and understanding. It was nice.

“You know he doesn’t treat men?” Shoichi asked, adjusting his position. “He refuses to. But he treats me because he promised my mom. I think I’m the only exception in his whole career.”

“That’s good,” Spanner said. “That someone is taking care of you.”

Shoichi felt a blush to go with the shy smile on his face, ducking his head. “Thanks.”

He looked up moment’s later, and Spanner’s face was closer. Kissing him crossed his mind. Would he kiss him? Yes, if Spanner wanted to kiss him, he would definitely kiss back.

“I should probably go,” Spanner said softly, still smiling at him.

“Okay,” Shoichi said, letting the disappointment seep into his voice a bit. Spanner chuckled and brushed a thumb down his jaw, over his chin. 

“Come see me at the shop soon?” Spanner asked. 

Shoichi was definitely blushing now, smiling bashfully. “Yeah, you bet.”

The white light started to appear, and then Shoichi had a thought.

“Hey, wait.” 

“Hm?”

“You have a space ship, and you admire _our_ technology?” he asked. Spanner merely chuckled, a beautiful sound, and disappeared into light like an angel.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor character death in this chapter.

It first happened when he was fifteen.

The last thing he remembered was being cornered, being scared. A group of kids in the neighborhood who didn’t like him had been chasing him for a couple blocks. All he’d been trying to do was get home.

He had felt his strength fading, and fading fast. _‘No, not now, they can’t get me, they can’t!’_ he thought frantically. But his vision was getting hazy and dark now…what was happening?

He tripped over something and sprawled out onto the pavement. It only hurt for a second because he let himself succumb to the darkness.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was in a hospital. It felt like he was waking up from a long, nice sleep. He stretched, or tried to, but it was a bit hard to move his arms. How long had he been asleep?

Suddenly there was a scream and people were all around him, hugging him, crying! “You’re awake, you’re awake!” they all chanted. He was so confused!

“I guess I got pretty scratched up when I took that fall, huh?” he asked.

Everyone’s smiles suddenly faded a bit. They got a bit tense.

“What’s up?” he asked. His voice was hoarse, like he hadn’t spoken in a long time. Everything came out in a quiet rasp.

“Sho, you’ve been in a coma for three years,” his mother said softly.

“I what?!” he sat up, and immediately everyone tried to force him to lay down again. He looked around at the room. It certainly looked like it had been in use for three years.  
Drawings plastered the walls, many, many vases of flowers were surrounding him…it was confusing, but it also made him feel loved. 

Someone handed him his glasses - thick, round, black-framed Coke-bottle glasses he had picked out several months before falling. Everything was a blurry mess now. For some reason, this was what hit him hard and caused him to crumble.

It turned out nobody knew what caused the coma. His family thought it might’ve been intense stress levels that made his body shut down, but nobody could explain why he’d been asleep for so long. Even his mom’s friend, Doctor Shamal, couldn’t explain it.

It took him a long time to get past it. To get caught up on everything. He had missed birthdays…he was eighteen now. He was basically a child when he fell asleep, and now he was an adult…he felt so behind!

His friends were no longer around. They had all moved to far away places, having started college already. None of them would answer their phones for him, even after multiple voice mails. 

He could truly say he’d never felt more alone.

Five months after he went home from the hospital, he Stopped again, though this time it only lasted for three days. He fell into a depression. Part of him wished he could take another three-year nap, while another part of him was frightened beyond belief, never wanting this to happen again. His family was patient, and tried to be helpful, but they felt so far away.

Eventually his sister moved to Italy with a girlfriend Shoichi never even got to know. Nobody really seemed to want to be around him. And then, just when he thought his life couldn’t get any worse, he got the news his mother was terminally ill.

“There’s nothing you can do?!” Shoichi had shouted at Shamal one night, desperate tears streaming down his face. “She’s…she’s all I have!”

“Believe me kid, I’ve tried,” Shamal said. “I can cure pretty much anything, but you and your mother are mysteries. I’m sorry.”

The last conversation he heard before he Stopped for a third time was between his mother and Shamal, peering through a crack in her bedroom door, soft light from the setting sun seeping in through the translucent, white curtains.

“You need to promise me,” she was saying. “That as soon as I’m gone, you’ll take care of Shoichi. You can’t deny a woman’s request, and you’re one of my best friends. Please.”

“I’ve already told you I can’t cure him,” Shamal said, running exasperated fingers through his hair.

“That’s not what I mean,” she said. “Adopt him. Get him away from the city. Give him the fresh start he deserves.”

“I’ve always told you I’d make a crappy father,” Shamal said.

“I don’t think you will,” she said, giving a weak smile. “You’re a goon sometimes, but I know that you care. Please do that for me. Start him on hormone treatments. Buy him clothes to help him pass. Treat him when he’s sick.”

Shamal was silent. His usual protests of “I don’t treat men” were stifled with a hard swallow. He guessed even Shamal knew now wasn’t the time.

“Fine,” he said after a long, tense silence. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” she said, looking extremely grateful. “Now I know I can rest in peace.”

Shoichi felt the darkness come into his vision again. He didn’t even make it to his bedroom.

Shoichi gave Shamal a hard time a lot, but when he thought about it, he knew that time must’ve been scary. Having his best friend pass away while her son was in a Stop (That was what Shoichi started calling it) for undetermined amounts of time must’ve been hard.

When he woke up a week later, it was only to be carted immediately to a funeral. He cried for weeks - he didn’t even get to say good-bye.

A couple months later, he was in a moving van, headed out to the countryside with Shamal. He was leaving behind everything he’d ever known, and honestly, that was okay with him. That house held too many memories for him.

Moving was probably the best thing to come out of that dark time in his life. Shamal started him on hormone treatments, as promised. After a lot of research, phone calls, and emails, he even got top surgery. Nobody knew him, so “That new guy, Shoichi” stuck like glue, and it made him feel more complete than he had in his entire life. Shamal opened a clinic because “One of us has to have an income, you mooch.” Shoichi never took comments like that to heart. They picked on each other a lot, and it was honestly the closest he’d ever felt to anything remotely resembling a dad.

He got a new haircut, bought new glasses, new clothes…it was indeed a fresh start, and after a few months, he started to feel _good._

He made friends with some neighborhood high school kids. Tsuna, Haru, Ryohei, Kyoko, and Yamamoto all welcomed him with open arms. Gokudera was a bit harder to get used to, but once you got used to his rough exterior, he grew on you.

“It’s good to see you socializing,” Shamal would say. “Now bring home a cute girl!”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m not into girls,” Shoichi said, pushing his glasses up to hide his blush, if only for a second. A loud sigh in response.

“Don’t ask me for dating advice,” he said.

“Besides, I wouldn’t bring home a girlfriend just so you can hit on her,” Shoichi said.

“I would never!”

_“Right…”_

Shoichi never brought home a boyfriend, either. None of the guys he knew interested in him that way. It was fine though - Shoichi wasn’t in a rush.

Tsuna and Gokudera decided after high school they were going to enroll in the local university to pursue their education before deciding what they wanted to do. Shoichi, aching for some education again after his long break, decided to enroll, too.

He was still Stopping from time to time, but his sleeps were shorter in periods, and not nearly as frequent. Both Shoichi and Shamal took it as a good sign.

Then one day, his friends took him to the lake. It was immediately a sanctuary. His safe space. His Zone. He loved it. It was beautiful, and a great place to relax.

Little did he knew that would soon change.


	5. Chapter 5

Shoichi went to go visit Spanner at the shop the next morning before class, but he wasn’t there. “He took the day off,” one of the men in the garage said. “Said he’s moving.”

Moving? Away? They had just met, Spanner couldn’t possibly be leaving again, could he? Did someone in his squad find out he had been seen?

These thoughts pursued him all the way back to campus, and by the time he sat down in class, his stomach was in knots from anxiety. He refused to question why the thought of someone he just met leaving so soon was getting to him in the first place.

He wasn’t feeling any better when lunch rolled around. He sat on the grass between Tsuna and Gokudera, pushing his food around absentmindedly as the couple yammered on next to him.

“I do believe Irie isn’t paying attention to us,” Gokudera said. Shoichi snapped his head up.

“I am!”

“Then what were we talking about?” Tsuna teased.

Shoichi drew a blank. “See?!” Tsuna said. “What’s up with you?”

“I…I don’t know, it’s nothing, really,” Shoichi said, looking at his food again.

“Are you worried about classwork?”

“No.”

“A guy?”

Shoichi’s head snapped up again. When had he told them he was…?

“Oh come on, we all know,” Gokudera scoffed. “Who cares?”

“Gokudera’s coming-out story to his family is nuts,” Tsuna said. “He basically said he was ‘done with their shit’, threw a bunch of dynamite at them, and moved from Italy to Japan without another word.”

 _“Dynamite?!”_ Shoichi yelled.

“Don’t ask,” Gokudera said, looking thoroughly unimpressed, as if dynamite had been part of his regular existence. 

“So what guy?” Tsuna asked again.

“It’s not…well, I mean…someone I was hoping to be friends with, well, we just met, and I think he might be moving.”

“That sucks,” Tsuna said, looking genuinely sorry. “How old is he?”

“I…actually don’t know,” Shoichi said. There were so many things he wanted to ask Spanner, and now he’d probably never get the chance. The thought depressed him.

He pushed through the rest of the day, trying to put Spanner out of his mind, and simultaneously attempted not to blame himself for Spanner’s disappearance. It really wasn’t his fault he spotted him, the entire thing was just bad timing.

He was looking forward to a hot bath and some good music as he trudged home, but once again, Shamal had to foil his plans.

 _“Seriously?!”_ he griped, not bothering to keep his voice down, hoping the pervy doctor could hear him yelling from his upstairs bedroom. There, right on the doorknob to the clinic, was a sock. A single, cotton sock.

“Very professional!” he yelled angrily up to the window. He tried the door anyway, but it was locked. Shamal had locked him out of his own home just so he could have sex. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. 

“What am I gonna do now?” he sighed heavily, ruffling his hair in agitation as he was prone to do. He was already having a bad day, and now…

Suddenly he heard a very familiar voice from the apartment complex right next door. He turned to look, and sure enough, up on the second floor, there was Spanner, directing a bunch of men into his apartment, who were all carrying heavy boxes, including Spanner himself.

“Be careful with that, there’s fragile content in it,” Spanner was saying. His eyes drifted from the uniforms the men were wearing, to the large moving truck in front of the complex.  
He was moving…into the apartment. Right next door to him!

Feeling his spirits lift considerably, he walked out onto the front lawn and waved until he caught Spanner’s attention. The mechanic’s face lit up considerably when he saw him, and Shoichi felt warmth spread throughout his whole body, a wide grin on his face to go with it.

“What are you doing here?” Spanner asked, leaning against the railing, chin in his hands, giving Shoichi a casually flirtatious smile that made his stomach do backflips.

“I live at this clinic,” Shoichi said.

“Is that so?” Spanner asked. “I’m moving in here. I guess we’re neighbors now.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Shoichi replied, and he was not blushing, no. They stared at each other for several more moments before a uniformed man tapped Spanner on the shoulder, breaking yet another trance.

“We’re all done here,” he said.

“Perfect,” he said. He disappeared inside, and just when Shoichi was wondering if it would be okay to go up and visit him, he reappeared, the entire crew of moving men walking back out to their truck.

“You wanna come up?” Spanner asked.

_“Yes!”_

Spanner’s place had that ‘new apartment’ smell. Clean carpet, new wood, fresh paint…it was Heaven. Shoichi gazed around at all the boxes cluttering the place, lots of brown against white and beige.

“I promise next time you come over, the place will be more put together,” Spanner said, scratching the back of his head.

“Oh no, really, it’s fine,” Shoichi said. “It’s a relief to see you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I went to visit you at your shop today, but someone said you were moving. I got worried - I thought you were leaving.”

Spanner gave him a soft, affectionate smile, and his stomach started doing that excited thing again. “You were worried?”

“Uh…I mean…um…”

“Tell you what,” Spanner said. “I promise not to leave without telling you.”

“Done deal.”

“I have to go out to my ship later tonight, do you want to come with me?” Spanner asked. “I can show you around.”

“Really?” he asked excitedly. 

“Yeah, I think I can trust you,” Spanner said, his smile never having faded. “And you can get your bike.”

“Oh yeah, my bike,” Shoichi said, having forgotten completely about it.

They sat around and talked until the sun went down. After it was good and pitch black outside, they started toward the lake. It was hot again tonight, but Shoichi didn’t notice it. He was in good company, after all. The sock was still on the door when Shoichi glanced at the clinic on their way by.

Damn Shamal.

“Hey, could you have teleported us here?” Shoichi asked when they reached the still waters. His bike was still laying in the grass, right where he had left it, thank goodness.

“I could have,” he said, smirking a bit. “But I wanted to walk.”

It seemed like Spanner was flirting with him, and honestly, he wasn’t complaining.

Spanner pulled a small device out of his pocket - he couldn’t tell what it was, but it resembled a touch-screen cell phone. He spoke a few words in a foreign language to it and suddenly the ground started shaking as the ship rose from the water.

“What is that?!” he asked.

“It’s a small computer that allows me to do basic commands to my ship,” he said.

“Is that what helps you teleport?” Shoichi asked.

“No,” he replied. “I can teleport anywhere, that doesn’t have anything to do with my ship.” Spanner answered patiently, and Shoichi was thankful he didn’t seem bothered by his questions.

The ship was finally completely visible, and Shoichi was in awe. How could someone who could pilot something like this be in awe of human technology? They were nowhere close to this!

“And in we go,” Spanner said, touching his shoulder. 

“How do we - “ His sentence was cut off when he felt his feet leave the ground. He closed his eyes, and a second later, he was in a cold place.

“This is your ship?!” he asked, looking around at the interior surrounding him now.

“Yep, this is it,” he said. “Its name is Simulation.”

“Clever,” Shoichi chuckled. He followed Spanner down a wide hallway, looking around at all the different panels and switches, and gears.

“What are we here for, anyway?” Shoichi asked.

“Just doing a routine maintenance check,” Spanner said. “Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Okay!”

Spanner led him to the pilot room, and it was a lot simpler than any sci-fi movie he’d ever seen. Still pretty cool-looking, but nothing flashy. It was perfect.  
Spanner took a lollipop out of his pocket and started pushing buttons, seeming to have no rhyme or reason to them, but immediately an automated female voice echoed around them.

“Welcome to Simulation. Please state your identity.”

“Spanner,” he said, sounding bored, and Shoichi couldn’t understand why. This was awesome!

“Identity confirmed,” she said. “Please state a command.”

“Maintenance check,” he said. “And stop being so formal.”

“Sorry, sir,” she said. “I thought you wanted to impress your boyfriend there.”

Both of them froze. “I - I’m not…he’s not..” Shoichi stuttered.

“Maintenance check,” Spanner said firmly, seeming to recover quickly, but there was red dusting his cheeks.

“Coming right up,” she said. “Inner core temperature is unchanged. Control panels are up-to-date and working. Status on engine condition is unchanged. Computers are maintained and secure, and the weather is _nice.”_

“I hate you,” he heard Spanner mutter under his breath, the red on his cheeks getting darker.

“I like her,” Shoichi said, unable to help smiling.

“No one else in the Black Spell wanted her,” Spanner said, pushing a few buttons on the control dash.

“You begged for me,” Simulation replied. “The only girl he’s begged for, really.”

“Shut down!” Spanner snapped, and yep, his face was burning now. Spanner looked really adorable when he was flustered. Shoichi laughed.

“Good night, sir!” the ship chirped, and everything went quiet and dark around them.

“Okay! That’s that, let’s go,” Spanner said, turning and walking quickly out of the room. Shoichi was worried suddenly that he had crossed a line by laughing along with the jokes.

“Hey Spanner, I’m really so - “

All of a sudden everything lit up again, and the ship started shaking.

“What’s happening?!” Shoichi asked as Spanner raced back into the room. They both looked down at the same time, and simultaneously saw that Shoichi had stepped on a button.

“What is that?” he asked, feeling ice cold panic start to run through him.

“Ah…emergency ignition,” Spanner said, his eyes widening.

“Why emergency?” Shoichi asked, knowing he would regret asking.

“It overrides the ship’s computer commands,” he said. “In case Simulation were to ever be hacked or compromised in any way. It’s an escape pod, without the pod.”

“So if you told the ship to stop - “

“It wouldn’t work,” Spanner finished. “I have to get to the control room before this thing takes off, and the entire town sees.”

The blonde turned and raced away down the hallway. Shoichi followed, not wanting to be in this room by himself. “I’m really sorry!” he panted. He had a feeling he just blew any chance he had with Spanner as far out of the water as this ship was about to be.

“Don’t worry about it, let’s just focus on getting this to stop,” Spanner said. They ran for a couple minutes until Spanner skid to a stop in front of a nondescript door. He pushed his palm against it. It glowed green around his fingers, and then Spanner pushed it open, racing inside. 

There were a lot of fuse boxes and wires in this room. Spanner seemed to know what he was doing though. Suddenly the ship gave another lurch and Shoichi fell over. The loud sirens that had been blaring the other night when the ship was landing were now sounding off.

“Damn it!” Spanner said. If the pulsing lights now going off in the hallway meant they were also flashing outside, surely the town was going to see. This was bad, this was so bad.

Another minute passed, Spanner muttering what were probably swear words in that foreign language again through grit teeth, his lollipop stick absent now. Shoichi had just gotten his balance back when he felt shaking and giant tremors throughout the ship, and what was definitely the ship starting to rise. It felt similar to being on an airplane during take off.

“Spanner…” Shoichi said apprehensively. 

And then suddenly, the ship started going down again. He could hear the faint sounds of water sloshing over the ship, giant waves going right over them as it sank into the lake, and it was the most bizarre thing Shoichi had ever heard.

Thirty seconds later the sirens died, then the lights stopped flashing.

Another thirty seconds later, and the ship was still. They were okay now.

“Are you alright?” Spanner asked, coming out of the room, looking down at Shoichi, who was on the floor again.

“I’m fine,” Shoichi said, fixing his glasses. “Are you?”

“I’m good,” he said, wiping his brow. Spanner had obviously been sweating from the stress, and Shoichi felt he didn’t deserve the helping hand Spanner offered to get him off the floor.

“I am so sorry,” Shoichi said pathetically, not able to look him in the eyes.

“It’s okay, really,” Spanner said softly. “It was an accident.”

“An accident that could get you sent home!” Shoichi said frantically.

Spanner took a step toward him and Shoichi ducked his head, feeling ashamed. But Spanner’s voice was soft, and comforting.

“You really care a lot about me getting sent back, don’t you?” he asked. Shoichi relaxed a bit.

“Yeah…” he said.

“I wonder what that means,” Spanner said, gently brushing a finger down his cheek. The touch was gone before Shoichi could truly savor it. Even after he finally made it to his bedroom an hour later, he was still thinking about it, Spanner’s question weighing on his mind.

Right as he was about to fall asleep, however - 

“Damn it, my bike!” he cried out.


	6. Chapter 6

It felt like Shoichi had only just shut his eyes when he felt someone shaking him awake.

“Ugh, go away!” he groaned, and rolled over, pulling the blanket over him as if it would somehow shield him from Shamal’s irritating presence. 

“Get up Shoichi!” he said, shaking him still. “There’s a news story on TV I want you to see.”

He sounded excited, which was rare, unless there was an attractive woman nearby.

“You’re probably only watching it for the pretty news anchor,” he grumbled. “Leave me alone.”

“It’s about a UFO,” Shamal said. “You’re always hanging out with that kid that has a hard-on for supernatural things, right?”

Shoichi was about to reply with something extremely rude, but what Shamal said caught his attention. UFO?

He forced his eyes open, even though it hurt due to how tired he was, and managed to climb out of bed, yawning widely. He padded barefoot into the living room with Shamal, shivering in the cold. Due to both him and Shamal hating the heat, the doctor kept the thermostat at a nice ‘Looks like snow’.

The TV was at a low drone, which quickly climbed higher when Shamal raised the volume. The anchor was a tall, tan-skinned woman with red hair, and the camera was live-on-scene at what was…the lake?!

“And today, news crews and alien enthusiasts alike are gathering here from all over the prefecture at the lake to try to view the mysterious UFO that most folks are claiming appeared in the dead of night last night!”

Shoichi felt his anxiety start to kick up. No way…

The scene changed to show a mini slideshow of what looked like fuzzy pictures, displaying what was, unmistakably - despite the poor quality - the lights of Spanner’s ship. 

This was bad, this was so bad!

The news anchor appeared again, and he ignored the swooning, dreamy sigh from Shamal. “The station has been receiving non-stop calls about - “

Shoichi couldn’t listen anymore. He ran to his room and started digging through his closet, trying to find something, anything, to wear. He needed to talk to Spanner. This could ruin him!

“What are you in such a hurry for?” Shamal asked, appearing in his doorway with a coffee mug.

“I have to go!” he said, pulling a couple shirts off of hangars.

“Going to talk to your UFO buddy?”

“No!”

“Jeez, you’re cranky in the mornings,” Shamal said. “Just make sure you’re not out too long, your appointment is today. I’m a very busy man, y’know.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Shoichi said, pulling on the first pair of jeans he saw. He had more important things to worry about at the moment.

Right as he was about to leave his room, however, his cell phone started ringing. He dove for it and answered it, hating that his voice cracked.

“H-Hello?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“Irie!” said Gokudera joyfully. “Have you seen the news?!”

“Uh, y-yeah, I just got done watching a bit of it,” he said. He should have expected Gokudera would be stoked over something like this, but he really needed to leave, and now wasn’t the time.

“Tsuna and I are heading to the lake to watch all the action,” Gokudera said. “You wanna come with?”

Shoichi blinked in surprise. Gokudera didn’t invite him out anywhere very often, and even now, he didn’t want to turn him down.

“Yeah, sure,” he said. “I have to do something first, but I’ll meet you guys there. I’ll probably be with Spanner.”

“Who the hell is Spanner?” Gokudera asked.

“Are you guy’s dating now?” came Shamal’s voice from somewhere in the apartment.

“No, shut up!” Shoichi yelled.

_“You_ shut up!” Gokudera snarled immediately.

“N-No, not you Gokudera, I was talking to the idiot I live with,” he said hurriedly. “I’ll see you at the lake in about a half hour.”

“Okay. But seriously, who is Spanner?” Gokudera continued.

He heard Tsuna pipe up in the background, “Is he that guy you - “ 

“Good-bye, Tsunayoshi!” Shoichi said, and pressed ‘end’ before this nonsense could continue. He ran a brush through his hair and desperately tried to ignore the smirk on Shamal’s face as he walked out into the living room.

“Don’t say anything, and no, we’re not dating!” he snapped.

“Uh huh,” Shamal replied, not looking convinced in the slightest. “Make sure you’re home by two.”

Shoichi hurried outside and ran the whole twelve feet to the apartment complex next door. He ran up the stairs and pounded on the door frantically, hoping that Spanner was inside. He didn’t know what time it actually was, but hopefully the mechanic was awake.

He felt his stomach swoop in relief when the lock clicked on the other side, and whatever Shoichi had been expecting when it opened, it wasn’t this.

Spanner looked like he had just been pulled from bed. Sleep glazed his seafoam eyes, and his blonde hair was a soft, curly mess that suddenly Shoichi really wanted to nuzzle his nose into.

“Hey Shoichi,” Spanner said, stretching. “Where’s the fire?”

It took several seconds for Shoichi to register that Spanner had asked him something, and he coughed loudly, trying to act like he wasn’t just imagining himself kissing the shit out of his alien neighbor.

“Um…the lake. We have to get to the lake. Now,” he said insistently.

“Why?”

“Because people saw your ship last night!” he said worriedly. “There are pictures of the lights and everything! It’s only a matter of time before people look under water and actually see it! Why are you staring at me like that, this is an emergency!”

Spanner looked unaffected by all of this throughout Shoichi’s entire speech.

“Spanner!”

Suddenly Spanner started chuckling, looking at Shoichi like he thought he was the cutest thing in the world. It only made him frustrated.

“You know what, never mind,” he said, turning to leave. “I got up early to try to warn you, and - “

“No, wait, I’m sorry!” Spanner said. Shoichi turned around. “I’m just really touched that you were so worked up and concerned about me.”

“You are?” Shoichi asked, melting a bit around the edges.

“Yeah!” Spanner said. He moved aside and let Shoichi in. “The truth is, I have it covered.”

“You do?!”

Spanner held up his tiny computer, the one he said allowed him to do basic things to the ship when he was away from it. “I initiated the cloaking device last night.”

Shoichi blinked. “The what?”

“It’s a safety feature,” Spanner explained. “It basically causes it to become invisible. Anyone who bothers to look under the lake isn’t going to see it.”

Shoichi felt a bit foolish now, even though he knew there was no way he could’ve known the ship was capable of that. “O-Oh…I see…”

“But I appreciate you coming to tell me!” Spanner said hurriedly. 

Shoichi gave a weak smile, feeling embarrassed now, though he knew he was making a big deal out of nothing. “Yeah, no problem.”

“Do you want some coffee?” Spanner asked.

“Yes please!” Shoichi said enthusiastically. Coffee hurt his stomach, but he needed something to get his brain going again. “Oh by the way, do you want to go to the lake with me?”

“To watch everyone search for my invisible ship?” Spanner chuckled from the kitchen.

“Yeah, why not?” Shoichi asked, rubbing his head. “And you can meet the friends I go to school with, too.”

“Okay,” Spanner agreed. It lifted Shoichi’s spirit a bit that he said yes. Spanner came out of the kitchen with a lollipop in his mouth. Shoichi sighed affectionately.

“You should really stop with the sugar, you’re gonna get a cavity that way,” he said. Spanner merely laughed; it was a beautiful sound that Shoichi thought he could get addicted to.

****

Thirty minutes later found them at the lake, and Shoichi’s embarrassment had more or less subsided. It was nearing noon now, and the day was starting to get hot. Spanner was dressed today in dark blue jeans and a brown leather jacket over a green T-Shirt. He looked so attractive, Shoichi couldn’t even think about it. He’d wished he’d taken the time to select some nicer clothes for himself.

“Hey guys, over here,” came Tsuna’s voice. Shoichi waved and led Spanner to where they were sitting, both of them on a blanket under a tree. It really broke Shoichi’s heart to see so many people at his beloved lake. This was once his sanctuary, and now there were cameras, vans, blankets, trailers, barbecues, a lot of people sucking up his oxygen. He hoped the hype died down quickly so he could get his space back.

He sat down in the grass, Spanner coming down next to him, folding his long legs under him.

“This is Spanner,” Shoichi said. “This is Tsuna and Gokudera, my two friends from college.”

“Yo,” Spanner said casually around the newest lollipop, shaking Tsuna’s hand politely. Tsuna seemed interested enough, but Gokudera was immediately on guard.

“How old are you?” he asked, scowling.

“Twenty-five,” Spanner said, arching an eyebrow at the sudden hostility.

“I hate him,” Gokudera said immediately. 

_“Gokudera!”_ Tsuna and Shoichi said together.

“I don’t care, I don’t trust people older than me,” he seethed. 

“I’m older than you!” Shoichi protested.

“You are?!”

“By _three_ years!”

“Traitor!”

The next ten minutes was a long bickering match between the three of them, mostly just trying to get Gokudera to stop being ridiculous. Spanner stayed quiet, eyeing Gokudera and Tsuna with indifference.

The arguing calmed down after awhile, Gokudera declaring that “Irie is different because Tsuna likes him”. Nobody tried to argue with him after that.

,em>‘If only you knew Spanner is an alien, you’d change your tune very quickly,’ Shoichi thought, amused.

The next couple of hours consisted of Shoichi making fun of all news crews and people milling around with alien paraphernalia. Gokudera however, was fascinated. He was talking very quickly about everything he knew about aliens, and judging from the look on Tsuna’s face, the brunette had heard this all before.

“But the crop circles - “

“Gokudera, please,” he begged. “I love you, but stop.”

“They’re a couple?” came Spanner’s voice suddenly in his ear, a low rumble. Shoichi almost shivered.

“Can’t you tell?” he whispered back, grinning at them.

“Hm. They’re funny,” Spanner said.

Shoichi looked at his cell phone and saw that it was twenty til two. “Oh damn, sorry guys. I have to get back to the clinic.”

“The hell for?!” Gokudera snarled, looking insulted that someone would leave in the middle of his abduction rate tangent.

“It’s personal,” he said shyly. “I just have business with Shamal.”

“Have fun,” Gokudera said flippantly, waving him off.

“Good luck with your errand, Shoichi!” Tsuna said. “If you get time off later, we’ll probably still be here.”

“I’ll be sure to call,” Shoichi said, waving at them. He smiled when Spanner stood up with him. 

“I’ll walk you,” Spanner said, smiling at him. Shoichi melted like chocolate in the sun. 

“Okay!”

“Your boyfriend is shady,” Gokudera said.

“And you smell like milk, little child,” Spanner threw back at him, smirking. Both Shoichi and Tsuna covered their faces with their hands to hide their laughter.

“The hell did you just say to me?!” Gokudera yelled. “Fight me, you bastard!”

Shoichi immediately grabbed onto Spanner’s arm and pulled him away as fast as he could, ignoring all the insults and Tsuna’s “Calm down, Gokudera, you’re making a scene!”

“No alien technology on mouthy university students!” Shoichi reprimanded playfully once they were out of earshot.

“Fine, because you say so,” Spanner said. “Also, why did he call me your boyfriend?”

“I don’t know,” Shoichi said apologetically. “I’m sorry if he made you uncomfortable.”

“He didn’t,” Spanner said. “I’m just wondering why.”

“I’ll tell him to cut it out next time I see him, I promise.”

“I’m actually okay with it,” Spanner said uncertainly. Shoichi looked at him, hardly daring to believe he was actually hearing this. Spanner looked nervous.

“You are…?”

“Well…not if you aren’t,” he said. “I’m pretty sure that whole process requires getting to know someone first, but from what I’ve seen, you’re pretty great, Shoichi.”

“Thank you,” he said shyly, shaking his bangs in front of his eyes. “That’s very kind of you. You’re great too, Spanner.”

“You think?” Spanner was walking closer to him now. A lot closer.

“Yes,” Shoichi said truthfully. “You’re freakin’ amazing, actually.”

“I’m very average on my planet,” Spanner said, looking up at the sky.

“They don’t know what they’re missing out on.”

Green eyes back on him, red dusting the mechanic’s cheeks. “Thanks.”

They walked together in amiable silence for a few more minutes before Shoichi got the nerve to ask a question that was nagging on the edge of his mind since that morning.

“Can I hold your hand?” Shoichi asked.

Spanner hesitated. “Hand-holding is a sign of physical affection between romantic couples here, right?”

“Typically,” Shoichi said. “But it’s okay, you don’t have to if - “

A warm palm wrapped around his own, fingers entwining, then a soft squeeze. They remained like that the rest of the way, a wide smile on Shoichi’s lips the entire time.

They made it back to the clinic quicker than Shoichi would’ve liked, and a minute to two.

“I guess I leave you here,” Spanner said.

“I’ll come find you soon,” Shoichi promised.

“You know where I’ll be,” Spanner whispered, smiling.

The redhead didn’t notice how close their faces were until they were kissing. Spanner’s lips were warm and soft, and he didn’t know what was he doing, but he tried. He pressed back and returned it with as much enthusiasm as he could, and Spanner did it right back. It was, quite frankly, the best first kiss he could have ever asked for.

They parted, and they kissed one more time, for a few sweet seconds, before Spanner waved and walked toward his apartment. Shoichi stood there in a giddy daze until he heard someone loudly clearing his throat.

He jumped and looked toward the sound. Shamal, in the entrance of the clinic, smirking in an ‘I knew it’ kind of way that Shoichi couldn’t even bring himself to feel exasperated over.

“Get inside for your injections, you romantic sap,” Shamal teased.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember researching the Italian when I wrote this, but just in case, please forgive any mistakes I may have made, they are completely unintentional.

“You’re gonna eat me out of house and home!” Shamal complained as Shoichi walked out of the kitchen with yet another cannoli. 

“I can’t help it, I’m starving!” he shot back, biting into the sweet dessert with no regret. These things were delicious. He always had an increase in appetite after injections.

“And those cannolis were mine,” Shamal said sadly, looking distraught over the fact that the redhead had eaten nearly all of them.

“Next time put your name on it so I know,” Shoichi said. 

The doctor sighed loudly just as the bell chimed downstairs, signaling that someone had come into the office. 

“Be right back,” Shamal said, perking up immediately. “Business awaits!”

Shoichi collapsed onto the couch, sinking into the soft cushions. He picked up the remote and changed the channel. It was Sunday, and nobody had texted him asking him to go out, so he’d been lounging around the house all day. His homework had been completed the previous night, so he was spoiling himself with trashy TV, Shamal’s food, and sitting around in basketball shorts, a band T-Shirt, and unbrushed hair.

The very image of class and beauty.

He flipped channels before finally settling on some cartoon that didn’t look half bad, finishing off the cannoli with a lick of his fingers. He wondered what was for dinner.  
He got through the rest of the episode before Shamal appeared again, looking disgruntled.

“Yet another ‘my baby girl has a sinus infection, what do I do’?” Shoichi teased.

“Shut up,” Shamal said. “And the wedding ring was the size of a rock.”

“Ouch,” Shoichi said indifferently.

“At least _I_ got dressed today. Move your feet.”

Shoichi curled his legs and Shamal sank into the couch. “I think I’m done for the day. I’m gonna go close.”

“What’s for supper?”

_“For the love of - ”_

Shoichi just laughed.

“Why the hell aren’t you moved out yet?” Shamal whined, going into the kitchen. “I can’t get laid properly with some kid bumming around all the time.”

“You lock me out of the house, I don’t wanna hear it!” Shoichi said.

“Hey, your boyfriend is independent, move in with him!”

“For the third time, he’s not my boyfriend!” Shoichi could feel his face burning as he said this. He wanted Spanner to be his boyfriend, and he knew was transparent as water every time this came up. Was that even possible, though?

He didn’t know when Spanner would actually be leaving. And long distance relationships were only feasible to a point…he highly doubted he could maintain something from a different planet.

The thought made him sad, so he pushed it out of his mind yet again.

“You ate my _zuppa di vongole,_ too?!” came a cry from the kitchen. Shoichi bit his lip.

“Pizza and a movie?” Shamal asked, coming out of the kitchen.

“Yes!”

Shamal threw the phone at him, and Shoichi caught it clumsily, fumbling with it before he finally got a grasp on it. “Nothing with anchovies, and if you pick out a chick flick again, you’re toast.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Shoichi muttered. The bell rang downstairs again.

“Be right back,” Shamal said. “I hope it’s a man so I can kick him out and close.”

Shoichi dialed the number and put the receiver to his ear. He automatically put on his polite 'over the phone' voice and ordered a pizza, respecting the no-anchovies rule since  
Shoichi wasn’t paying. He heard footsteps on the stairs as soon as he hung up.

“Forty-five minutes,” Shoichi said, turning his attention back to the TV.

“Until what?” came a voice that was definitely not Shamal’s. He jumped ten feet and fell off of the couch, hurting his backside as the floor gave a thud underneath him.

“S-S-Spanner?!” he choked out, feeling humiliation and embarrassment flood through him. Spanner was leaned against the railing the couch sat against, chin on folded arms as he gazed affectionately at Shoichi.

Who realized the state of his hair and dress, and wanted to sink into the floor. Spanner himself was dressed in black slacks and white button-up shirt, a loose tie around his neck. He looked gorgeous, and Shoichi would give anything to disappear on the spot right this moment.

“Wh-What are you doing here?!” he stuttered.

“I came to see if you were home,” Spanner said, amusement glittering in his eyes. “Your doctor friend said to 'come right up, you weren’t busy or _anything,_ and don’t worry about seeing him in a messy state.’ End quote.”

Mortification continued to burn hard and bright through him, and he knew immediately this was payback for the cannolis. 

“I’ll be…right back,” he said, standing up, rubbing the base of his spine. He ran into his bedroom and slammed the door. He put on a pair of jeans - clean this time - and one of his nicer shirts. He brushed his hair and slunk back out to the living room. Spanner was sitting on the couch, watching him.

“Should I leave?” he asked.

“No, you’re fine!” he said, smiling through grit teeth. “Just excuse me for a second, I have to go kill someone.”

He raced down the stairs, finding Shamal turning the sign to 'closed’ on the door. Shoichi summoned all of the strength he had and punched his shoulder as hard as he could.

 _“Ow!!”_ came the pained scream. An elderly lady across the street looked up briefly at the noise.

“Asshole,” Shoichi muttered tersely. 

“Leech.”

“Pervert.”

“Mooch.”

Shoichi left him to his business, feeling better now, and trotted back upstairs, Shamal clutching his shoulder and muttering swear words in Italian.

“Is everything okay?” Spanner asked, looking like he was trying to hold back from laughing.

“Everything’s great!” Shoichi said cheerfully, ignoring the mild pain in his knuckles.

“So what are your plans for the night?” Spanner asked, narrowing his eyes in more of that affectionate gaze that was making Shoichi feel giddy.

“I was gonna watch a movie with Shamal, I guess,” he said. “We ordered pizza.”

“I see,” Spanner said. “Wanna come over when you’re done?”

“Absolutely!” he said, wishing he could come over now, but he didn’t want to ditch Shamal. Luckily he was saved, the doctor stomping grumpily up the stairs.

 _“Please,_ take him with you,” he groaned.

“What about our food and movie?” Shoichi asked.

“Oh, come _on_ Sho,” he said, smirking. “I have many a _bella donna_ I can call, who would be much better eye candy than you.”

“It’s a cross I bear,” Shoichi said, rolling his eyes.

 _“Parla l'taliano?”_ Spanner asked, and Shoichi turned interested eyes to him. Shamal waved off his comment.

“Enough of the formal crap,” he said. “And yes, I was in Italy for a very long time before moving here.”

“The Italian and Japanese culture fascinate me,” Spanner said. “They were the other two languages I decided to learn after English.”

“You’ll fit in here then,” Shoichi said. Between Shamal constantly speaking in it, mainly to woo women, and his wide variety of Italian food, Spanner would probably be pretty comfortable. Shoichi had picked up bits and pieces of the language over the past few years. He could hold a small conversation if he wanted, but that was his limit. “Anyway, I have to go pack a bag, be right back.”

“Just to stay for a couple hours?” Spanner asked.

“Let’s just say I won’t be able to get back inside once I leave,” Shoichi said loudly as he retreated down the hallway.

He pulled a duffel bag out of his closet, surprised when the tall blonde suddenly appeared in his doorway. He hadn’t been expecting him to follow him.

“It feels very domestic,” Spanner said, the lollipop in his mouth making light clicking sounds against his teeth. “You packing a bag to come over.”

Shoichi suddenly realized he hadn’t even asked if he could stay the night, and he immediately fell into apologies. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” he said. “I should have asked!”

Spanner was beaming at him, not seeming offended in the slightest. “It’s odd how no matter what you do, I always feel the overwhelming urge to kiss you.”

Shoichi blushed. He took that as a sign he was pardoned, and pushed his glasses up. “Well…no need to hold back.”

Spanner crossed the room in three steps on his long legs, and suddenly Shoichi was being kissed, and hard. How long had he been wanting to do this?

Spanner’s arms wrapped around him and Shoichi melted into the embrace, wrapping his own arms around his shoulders, knotting his fingers into that soft, soft hair. They parted for air and went right back to it, both of them kneeling on the hard floor, taking in each other like they’d been apart for years.

And in a strange way, it kind of felt like that. Shoichi wondered if they’d been lovers in another life, perhaps. He didn’t believe in such things, but it was nice to entertain the thought.

Spanner pulled away and kissed his forehead, soft and sweet, and Shoichi felt very loved at that moment. Something about forehead kisses, it seemed. “I’ll leave you to it,” Spanner whispered.

“Mmm,” Shoichi said in a daze.

He waited for the fuzz to clear from his head, and threw a change of clothes, his toothbrush, hairbrush, charger, and iPod into his duffel. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” he said to Shamal, more as a warning than a considerate notice.

“Take your time, by all means,” the raven-haired doctor said, waving him off. He had his cell phone in his right hand, already scrolling through his contacts. Shoichi grabbed his headphones from the back of the couch and blinked in the bright evening sunlight as he and Spanner stepped outside.

“I like summer,” Spanner said.

“To each their own,” Shoichi shrugged.

Spanner’s apartment was thankfully kept cool as well. Shoichi sat down on the couch, feeling hungry again.

“Wanna order food?” he asked as Spanner took his tie off.

“Sure. What do you suggest?” Spanner asked. Shoichi grinned.

“Ever heard of anchovies?”

****

He didn’t look at Spanner as he wolfed down his food, but he knew the look of surprise and awe was there. Two large pizzas, breadsticks, and cannolis sat in front of them, splayed out over the table, and Shoichi had eaten a good portion of all of it.

“Amazing,” Spanner said.

“Sorry,” Shoichi said. 

“Actually, I like it,” he smiled.

“You’ll love me every six weeks then,” he said.

“Hm?”

Shoichi tensed a bit. “Ah, nothing,” he said quickly. Spanner simply shrugged.

The night was actually pretty fun. He and Spanner had a lot to talk about, and the mechanic royally kicked his ass in video games for a few hours (“Where did you learn to play games so well?” “If I can pilot a ship, I can do this.”). Despite losing to every game he owned, he had a lot of good laughs. He felt himself falling for Spanner every second. He wanted that, a lot. He liked this feeling. It made him feel good, especially when was able to bring a smile or laugh to the blonde’s face, but…

“You look preoccupied,” Spanner said suddenly, looking at him with a slightly concerned expression.

He snapped out of it and looked at the screen. His character had been mauled because he hadn’t been paying attention. “Oh crap, sorry!”

Spanner smiled gently and reached forward, turning off the console. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Shoichi said immediately, the feeling of not wanting to burden someone prominent in his mind.

“Shoichi,” Spanner said in a tone that implied he wasn’t buying it.

“I just really…like you,” Shoichi said, fiddling with the controller. “A lot.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Spanner asked, looking mildly hurt.

“No, no, no, not at all!” Shoichi said. “I’m just worried about a few things.”

“Such as?”

“When do you plan on going home?”

Spanner raised his eyes to the ceiling for a second, in thought. “I had planned on staying here for at least a couple years, if things go smoothly.”

Shoichi wanted to ask, _'And what about me?’,_ but the words sounded so selfish, even in his thoughts. Spanner seemed to know what he was thinking, because he continued, “Hypothetically, if we were to enter into a relationship…” He paused, and Shoichi’s heart raced in anticipation. “The two options would be to stay here, or take you home with me. I would have go through a lot of important people - people I don’t like that much - to get permission.”

Shoichi’s heart sank. Not that he ever seriously considered the possibility of leaving, but this speech wasn’t sounding great so far.

“Staying here would be easier, I think,” he said. “I don’t have a time limit on my stay here, but if I ask for too many extensions, or if my reports sound suspicious in any way, they’re going to investigate. Not to mention that they specifically told me I can’t be intimate with humans in any way beyond basic platonic gestures and business partnerships.”

Shoichi felt devastated, and he felt mad at himself for getting his hopes up this far. “I understand,” he said, and he did. That’s that, then.

“But most of me doesn’t care,” Spanner added, and Shoichi hardly dared to breathe. “I’ve never been one for following rules.”

“Won’t you be punished?”

“Nah,” Spanner said, throwing him an easy smile. “I don’t have anyone back home anyway except my grandfather. He won’t tell anybody, of course. And as long as my reports are legit, I don’t see my Black Spell squad leader giving much of a crap what I do here.”

Shoichi was so curious about Spanner’s home life and his 'Black Spell’, whatever that was, but he was absorbed in trying to figure out where he stood with Spanner. “Your squad leader is your boss?” he asked, trying to attempt to not sound overly eager.

“My boss is Byakuran,” Spanner said, his mouth twisting in a slight grin of disgust. “The big boss. The main man. I’ve only seen him a couple of times, but he doesn’t seem too particularly interested in what Black Spell does, because he’s also the leader of White Spell. My squad leader is Gamma, and while he definitely seems to have a stick up his ass, I like him better than most. Plus he doesn’t seem to care about me, which is great in this situation.”

“I see,” Shoichi said, laughing a bit.

“I miss Yuni though, she was very kind,” Spanner said in slight nostalgia.

“Who?”

“She was second-in-command to Byakuran. She disappeared one day.”

“O-Oh…sorry to hear that,” Shoichi said.

“No worries,” Spanner said, directing his gaze back to Shoichi. “Anything else on your mind?”

A couple things, yes, but Shoichi didn’t know how to approach them. The silence stretched and stretched. Spanner got up and moved closer to Shoichi, pulling him into his arms. He immediately felt ten times safer. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into his chest.

“I wanna be with you,” Spanner said into his hair. “And while some things are hard to talk about, communication is also important. So take your time, but don’t feel like you have to hide yourself from me, either.”

Shoichi smiled. “Okay.”

He took a deep breathe, and with shaky legs, and dived into an explanation of…well, everything. His mother, his childhood, what came after. His identity. Everything. 

Spanner was very open to all of it, asking a lot of questions, kissing his hair when Shoichi started to get especially sad, and even laughing when he described what life with Shamal was like.

“So overall, it’s not that not wanting sex means you don’t love someone,” Shoichi said. “It just means you’d rather express your love in other ways.” He had only come out as trans to his mother, sister, and Shamal, and only come out as asexual to Shamal. Doing all this over again was a bit mentally exhausting. Not in a bad way, he was just feeling a bit tired now.

“I see,” Spanner said, clicking his lollipop around in his mouth. “So I shouldn’t approach the subject of sex with you at all…?”

“You can approach it,” Shoichi said with a small smile. “Just don’t expect it. Ask first, and don’t be upset if I turn you down.”

“I can definitely live with that,” Spanner said.

Shoichi felt so relieved - but he was also feeling guilty now.

“What’s wrong now?” Spanner asked patiently.

“I don’t know, I just…” he scratched his head anxiously. “Should I feel guilty that I came out to you about being trans when I haven’t told any of my best friends?”

“I don’t think so,” Spanner said. “Sometimes…” he sighed, seeming to be trying to get his thoughts together. “Sometimes there are certain things you shouldn’t have to feel like you need to justify. But you had reasons for not telling them when you first moved here, and if you still don’t feel the need, then why bother now?”

Shoichi sighed. 

“You are still Shoichi Irie, that hasn’t changed, even now,” Spanner said, full-on grinning at him. “Clumsy, short, brighter than the sun in many ways, and downright adorable.”

Shoichi smiled. “Thank you. But I think I’m gonna tell them. I _want_ to.”

"And if it helps,” Spanner started, with a tone that indicated he was about to admit something. “I was reading their minds when we were at the lake the other night. They’re very good people, and I can tell you for a fact that they’d be your friend no matter what.”

“Even Gokudera?” Shoichi asked, feeling warm and happy all over again.

“He’s a little shit, but yeah,” Spanner ruffled his hair. “Even Gokudera.”


	8. Chapter 8

Shoichi didn’t have class the next day, something about a ‘Staff day’ in the email that had been sent out, so he asked Gokudera and Tsuna to meet him at the park.

It was one of those tiny, public playgrounds that rarely had any children playing in it for some reason. You knew people came there, it was a maintained playground, but for some reason, every time Shoichi walked past it, it was always deserted.

Which, he figured, made it a great place to talk. 

It was a muggy, humid day. The sky was slate gray, rain clouds hovering so close, he almost thought he could touch them, thunder rumbling in the distance. He sat on the small platform attached to the spiral slide, while Spanner sat on the ground, leaned against the swingset, arms crossed. Tsuna and Gokudera had each picked out a swing, gently swaying back and forth, hands interlocked.

If it wasn’t for the nerves twisting in his stomach, it would actually be pretty peaceful. Nobody had said a word in the past seven minutes, seeming to sense Shoichi’s tension.  
He jumped when the silence was suddenly broken by Gokudera’s voice.

“Sometime before the rain starts?” he asked.

_“Gokudera,”_ Tsuna chided.

“No, it’s okay Tsunayoshi,” Shoichi said, smiling a bit. “This is just,” A hard swallow. “Difficult to say.”

“Are you moving?” Tsuna asked. 

“What? No, I’m not,” Shoichi blinked.

“Did that damn doctor finally kick you out?” Gokudera asked, a teasing grin on his face.

“No,” Shoichi actually laughed. “He likes to mess with me, but that was never a concern.”

Suddenly it started raining. Not hard, just a few drop on his glasses, but everyone looked up, knowing a downpour was coming. He considered it a great mark of friendship that nobody present budged from their spots, willing to hear him out.

“Guys, I’m trans,” he said finally. “A trans guy.”

Silence followed this. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

“Wow,” Tsuna said finally. 

“'I wanted to tell you guys, because…because I really wanted you to know,” he said. “You’re my best friends, and you know about my mom, so…I wanted to share this, too.”

“Did your mom know?” Tsuna asked.

“Yeah,” Shoichi said. “She helped me go online and pick out my name.”

“So Shamal knows, too?”

“Yeah,” he said. “He’s been helping me transition.”

Both Tsuna and Gokudera snapped their heads in his direction, and he couldn’t help but smile. “I know,” he said. “Treating a male patient, can you believe it? He’s doing it because my mom made him promise. Remember how I told you she made him promise to take care of me? Well, that was part of the package.”

Gokudera whistled. “I’ll be damned.”

“Did you feel like…I mean…oh man,” Tsuna said, stumbling over his words. “Was it… _damn it.”_

Shoichi took a stab at what he was trying to say. “I don’t feel like I was born in the wrong body or anything,” he said patiently. “I just needed to make some alterations to the palace, so to speak. To better reflect me. Because I’m the king, and I live in this body, and I deserve the best.” He thought about it a lot, and he rather liked that metaphor.

“And do you feel like you have the best?” Tsuna smiled at him.

Shoichi smiled back brightly. “I do.”

“So Irie is a king,” Gokudera said. “Can we get out of this rain?” He held out his hand, catching the fat drops in his palm. They were all soaked at this point.

“Let’s go under here,” Spanner said, pointing in front of him. They ended up all huddled together under the slide, legs pressed against their chests, and arms around each other, Shoichi smack in the center. It was nice and warm under here.

“I mean really, nothing changes. You’re still our friend, you’re still Shoichi,” Tsuna said.

“We like you no matter what, Shoichi,” Spanner said. 

“You’re alright,” Gokudera finished in his own joking way.

Shoichi was close to tears. “Thanks, guys,” he said, voice cracking, wiping at his eyes.

“Anyone else have anything they need to confess?” Gokudera asked.

“I’m afraid to make phone calls,” Tsuna said. “That’s kind of trivial, but…”

“No, it’s okay!” Shoichi said. “Phones suck.”

“My mother died on my birthday,” Gokudera said.

“I hate centipedes,” Shoichi added.

_“Really?”_

“It’s all the legs.”

“I’m afraid of fire,” Spanner put in.

“I’m afraid of cows,” Tsuna said. “And small dogs.”

“I fell off a tall slide when I was eight, and I still won’t go on them to this day,” Gokudera said.

“I’m a huge fan of Cake Boss,” Tsuna said.

“Fox Mulder was hot,” Gokudera said.

“I’m dating Spanner,” Shoichi confessed.

_“Of course you are,”_ Tsuna and Gokudera answered in unison.

“I’m an alien,” Spanner said, completely deadpan. Gokudera pulled his arm off of Shoichi long enough to punch Spanner’s shoulder.

“Don’t trivialize the moment by telling lies!” he yelled.

Shoichi sniffed and took his glasses off, wiping at his eyes. 

He had the best friends in the whole world.

****

The rain stopped about twenty minutes later, leaving the wood chips and playground equipment soaked. The sun was peeking out through a break in the clouds.

“That storm passed fast,” Spanner said.

“Hey look, it’s a rainbow!” Tsuna said, pointing. And indeed, a colorful arch was gracing them with its presence, long and beautiful over the soccer field.

“May this forever be a testament to how much queer is under this slide right now,” Gokudera said.

“And how,” they agreed in unison before cracking up laughing. Shoichi felt so light and happy. Everything was perfect.

They wiggled out from under the slide and stretched. It felt good to not be in a cramped space anymore. 

“Who wants food?” Spanner said, starting to walk away from them. “I’m starving.”

Shoichi suddenly realized he hadn’t eaten at all that day, and wholeheartedly agreed to food. They ended up at the local diner, throwing fries at each other and watching Spanner and Gokudera throw insults at each other left and right.

“Eating your fries after dipping them in your shake is tainting the taste of the fries,” Gokudera said.

To which Spanner responded by dipping several more into his chocolate ice cream and eating them, keeping his eyes on Gokudera the entire time.

“Will you two ever be able to get along?” Shoichi chuckled.

“I think this taste is just too sophisticated for a child such as yourself,” Spanner teased.

“Say that again, asshole!”

“Our boyfriends are the picture of maturity, aren’t they?” Tsuna sighed.

“And yet, we’d choose them all over again.”

“Well, I hate to break from this party, but I have to get going,” Spanner said, standing up. 

“Already?” Shoichi asked, disappointed.

“Business to attend to,” he whispered, kissing his hair. Shoichi blushed. “Call me tonight when you get home.”

“Kay,” Shoichi said, kissing him. He figured Spanner had to make a report back to his boss or something, so he didn’t ask about going with him.

Spanner put money on the table and left the three of them. Shoichi gazed after him as long as he could as his boyfriend’s tall figure walked away from the restaurant.

“You’re so gone,” Gokudera said, snapping him from his trance.

“Speaking of gone, I’m full,” Tsuna said. “Let’s pay the bill and leave.”

Gokudera picked up the money Spanner left behind and counted it. Just as Shoichi was pulling out his wallet - 

“Hey guys,” Gokudera said, sounding endeared. 

Spanner had paid for all four meals.

****

_'I’m definitely going to have to thank him for that later,’_ Shoichi thought on his walk home. He’d split from Gokudera and Tsuna at the brunette’s house, both of them intending on hanging out together until Tsuna’s mom got home. Come to think of it, he didn’t even know where Gokudera lived.

_'Oh well.’_ He got to the clinic and tried the door. It was locked. He looked around for any socks that might’ve blown off the knob during the storm, but he couldn’t find one. Odd.

He used his own key and stepped inside. “I’m home!” he called, but from the silence surrounding him, he could tell the place was empty. He checked the clinic and the upstairs living area just in case he was passed out drunk somewhere. 

No Shamal.

“Messages?” he muttered, checking the machine.

“You have one new message,” came the stilted automated voice. “First unheard message.”

A pause, and then, “Oi, brat,” came Shamal’s voice. “I’m closing the clinic for the evening and running errands in the next town over. I tried to call your cell phone, but you left it at home. _Again.”_

_'Oops,’_ Shoichi thought.

“I don’t know when I’ll be home, but feed yourself, don’t bother waiting on me. God knows you’re good at doing that.”

Shoichi laughed. 

“End of messages.”

He cleared the machine without a second thought and went into his room, turning on lights as he went. The sun was starting to set earlier now. The first sign of fall, and Shoichi couldn’t wait. It was his favorite season. 

His favorite season, and he’d get to spend it with Spanner. The thought made him incredibly happy.

He microwaved some frozen food and watched an On Demand movie while waiting for Shamal to come home. He tried calling Spanner, but got his voicemail. He left a simple message asking him to call back if he had time, and left it at that.

_'Where is everyone tonight?’_ he thought, getting comfortable with a pillow while the opening credits to one of the Harry Potter movies started playing. Might as well, he had nothing else to do.

The next two hours dragged by. Neither Spanner nor Shamal called him. He tried phoning Shamal a few more times during the movie, but always got a voicemail.

Trying to resign himself to the fact that his battery had probably died while on a sex binge, he attempted not to worry.

It was around nine o'clock when he heard knocking at the door. He immediately jumped up and ran down the stairs.

“Finally!” he said. “Did you get kicked out of - _Spanner?”_

His boyfriend was on his doorstep, looking out of breath, as if he had run there.

“Shoichi, I’m sorry,” he said, looking heartbroken.

“What?”

“Shamal, I’m really sorry,” he continued. “He’s been in an accident, I saw him on the road. I would have teleported, but my powers don’t work correctly if I can’t focus. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Shoichi’s breath caught in his chest.


	9. Chapter 9

His panic immediately kicked in, and he felt himself start to go numb. Unaware of what was around him. 

“No, no, no, no,” he chanted, not even entirely sure if he was thinking this or saying it aloud. He was snapped out of it when he felt Spanner’s hands on his shoulders, shaking him a bit. 

“Come on, Shoichi,” he said. “There was an ambulance when I saw him, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

“How did he get into an accident?” Shoichi said weakly, his sinuses burning intensely from incoming tears.

“I don’t know,” Spanner said gently. “Take deep breathes. He’s not alone right now, he’s being taken care of. Breathe for me, okay?”

Shoichi nodded fervently, trying to pull himself together. Now wasn’t the time to let shock take over. He had things to do. Yeah. Things…what things?

_‘Come on brain, what things?’_ he thought, ruffling his hair. He turned around and went inside, pacing around in the living room, trying to think. He felt like he was wasting precious time doing this, but he needed to get himself together first, not just rush in head first. He was a cautious, analyzing person, he needed to be rational right now.

Spanner gazed him in concern, sitting on the arm of the couch. Shoichi was only getting increasingly panicked when he couldn’t get his thoughts together. His breathing started to come in shallow pants.

_Oh no, a panic attack!_

Immediately Spanner’s arms were around him, pulling him close to his chest.

“Breathe, _topolina,”_ he soothed.

“We have to go, I’m just wasting time!” he sobbed.

“You’re not,” he said. “What would Shamal do if this happened to you?”

“I don’t - ” he started angrily, but cut himself off and inhaled some more air. Snapping wasn’t going to get him anywhere right now. Another minute of focusing on Spanner’s heartbeat, and he felt okay.

“Alright, I have to…get dressed,” he said. “And possibly pack some clothes.”

“Good, good,” Spanner encouraged.

“And…Shamal has paperwork in his room…I should probably get that, in case I need to fill out insurance forms…and…put a sign on the clinic door for customers saying we’ll be closed for awhile. Okay, yes, that’s a good start.”

He sniffed loudly and pushed his glasses up, ready for action. He went into his bedroom and started packing. Spanner didn’t follow him, but he didn’t question it. 

He tucked his cell phone and wallet into a side pocket of his backpack, and walked downstairs, key in hand. Spanner was already there, a note taped to the glass door window.

“Aw, thank you, Spanner,” Shoichi said gratefully. 

“No problem, _topolina,”_ Spanner said, kissing his hair. “Let’s get going.”

Shoichi read the note as he locked the door, written in a messy scrawl from a Sharpie marker: **“Closed for family emergency - sorry for the inconvenience.”** Short and simple. He liked it.

“How are we going to get to the hospital?!” Shoichi yelled, feeling frustration and panic start to engulf him again.

“Oh ye of little faith,” Spanner said behind him. Right as Shoichi opened his mouth to ask what that meant, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and his feet being lifted from the ground again, light invading his vision completely.

They ended up behind a large tree in the front yard of the local hospital. Shoichi had been so panicked, he’d completely forgotten about his boyfriend’s teleporting abilities - and what has his life come to that he could think that sentence so easily, yet alone at all?

“Thank you, Spanner,” he said softly, kissing him on the cheek. “I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing,” he said. “Though I don’t have much knowledge about earth hospitals, so unfortunately, you might have to take the reigns here.”

“That’s fine,” Shoichi said, putting himself in his 'No-Bullshit’ mode. He may have anxiety, but he could get stuff done when he really needed. He pushed his glasses up and strode toward the front door.

“Excuse me,” he said to the nurse at the reception desk, his voice deeper, more serious. “A relative of mine was in an accident this evening, and I need to know what I need to do to see him.”

“Name?” the nurse asked. 

“Um…mine or his?” Shoichi asked, faltering a bit.

“His.”

“Doctor Shamal,” he said. The nurse raised an eyebrow at him.

“That’s his legal name,” Shoichi insisted. Some clacking on the keyboard, a few questions, and then he was presented with a clipboard with a lot of papers on it.

“Thanks,” he said, looking in dread at the thick stack of paper. He sat down in a hard, uncomfortable chair and squinted at the tiny print.

“This looks so…overly-complicated,” Spanner said, tearing open a lollipop he had taken from a little basket on the reception desk. “Hospitals are so different on Vererity.”

“Is that the name of your planet?” Shoichi asked, interested.

“Mhm. If a loved one goes to get treatment on my planet, we can just go see them.”

“There are no concerns about that?” Shoichi asked.

“Well, if someone has ill intentions, we can read their minds,” Spanner said, smiling a bit.

“You don’t read my mind, do you?” Shoichi asked.

“Nope,” he answered. “I was taught that humans value their privacy.”

“That they do,” Shoichi sighed, trying to remember Shamal’s information.

Shoichi’s stomach twisted and churned as he filled out the paperwork, answering everything to the best of his ability. Paperwork was never his forte, always worried that there would be Some Major Consequence for not having filled it out right. Spanner kept rubbing his back in comfort, which helped some.

He was feeling extremely ill by the time he was done. He turned it in, hoping the nurse wouldn’t scrutinize it. He figured if he threw up, at least he was in a hospital.

“Thank you,” she said. “A doctor will be out to see you in a minute.”

A minute turned out to be fifteen. He was shaking by the time a man in a white coat came out to see them. 

“Are you okay, young man?” he asked.

“Fine,” Shoichi said, clutching his stomach, but making his voice as authoritative as possible. “What’s going on with my uncle?”

“It seems he had a collision at an intersection,” the doctor said. “I don’t know the details, unfortunately.” Shoichi groaned in response, and the man continued, “We don’t know the extent of the damage yet, but he has a concussion, and a few broken bones, at least. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Shoichi’s shaking had gotten worse. He definitely wasn’t feeling well. What was going on with Shamal, would he be able to get around again? What if there was internal bleeding? What if -

“He’s fine,” he heard Spanner insist, though his voice sounded far away. He felt cold, and there was a ringing in his ears. He knew he was having a panic attack now. “I’ll talk to him for a few minutes, and then we’d like to see him.”

“Very well. I’ll be back,” the doctor said.

Shoichi’s vision was swimming. He felt nauseous. His entire body was freezing and numb, and Spanner was saying something, but he couldn’t hear him. It was like he was under water, and Spanner was trying to talk to him from the surface.

He knew what was coming next. He didn’t have the energy to try to resist when the darkness invaded his vision and took him over.

Sweet, sweet silence.

****

Shoichi came back very slowly. First he felt something soft underneath him. It felt like bed sheets. He moved his fingers a bit, and yes, that’s what it was. He was in bed. His bed, it seemed. What a nice place to be.

He focused on his breathing and took in what was around him without opening his eyes. The window was open, letting in a nice, cool breeze. He could hear the wind chimes outside. His stomach didn’t hurt anymore, either. Cicadas buzzed loudly in the trees. Was he alone? 

He turned his head and opened his eyes. Everything was slightly fuzzy because someone had taken his glasses off, but he could see Spanner sitting in a chair against his bedroom wall, arms crossed, head down. Judging from his breathing, he was asleep. The room was colored in yellow and orange rays of light. The sun was setting.

But why was Spanner - oh no, the hospital! He had Stopped in the hospital! How much time had passed?! He sat up, feeling jittery all over again.

“Spanner?” he asked, his voice cracking. His throat was so dry. _“Spanner?”_

The blonde’s head jerked up, and he looked with wide eyes at Shoichi. Then suddenly he had a tall mechanic practically on him as he was hugged tightly. Spanner smelled like motor oil and freshly cut grass. It was incredibly nice.

“Shoichi, you’re okay!” he breathed in relief. “I was so worried!”

“I’m sorry!” he said, feeling crushed by the hug, but he didn’t want Spanner to let him go. “What happened?!”

“That’s what I want to know!” Spanner said, pulling away. “We were in the hospital, and I thought you were going to be sick, but then suddenly you collapsed!”

“That was…I can explain,” he said. “But what happened to Shamal?”

“Is that little shit awake?” came a familiar gruff voice. He turned to look in the doorway and saw Shamal on crutches. He had a large, white cast on his leg, a few bandages on his face, a little unshaved, but otherwise he looked completely fine.

“You’re alright!” he said.

“Of course I’m alright,” he scoffed like all of this was a trivial matter to him.

“I’m so relieved,” he sighed, throwing the blankets off of him happily.

“I can’t believe you got so worked up, you Stopped,” Shamal rolled his eyes. “Really Shoichi, I’m a trooper. You need to - no, no, get away from me!”

But Shoichi trapped him in a hug, hard and tight. “You’re such a loser, but I’m glad you’re okay.”

“It has its perks. This cast is a total babe magnet,” Shamal smirked. Shoichi heaved a heavy sigh. Shamal was never going to change.

“What happened to your car?” Shoichi asked. Spanner cleared his throat and Shoichi spun around.

“Yo,” Spanner said, jerking two fingers in a short wave.

“That’s very generous of you, Spanner.” Shoichi said, smiling widely. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of him.

“Generous nothing, do you know how much he’s charging me?!” Shamal griped. Shoichi started laughing. He felt like he could go on for ages until:

“I still want to know why you were in a coma for a week and a half,” Spanner said, turning a serious gaze to Shoichi.

“I was out for that long, huh?” he asked, his mood turning somber again.

“Tsuna and Gokudera were worried sick about you,” he added. “And I didn’t know what to tell them. _I_ was worried sick about you.”

“Welp, good luck champ!” Shamal said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I have business to take care of.”

“Probably gonna go get laid,” Shoichi muttered, watching him disappear into the apartment.

“Shoichi,” came Spanner’s voice. The redhead sighed. Explanation time, then.

“It started when I was fifteen,” he said, sitting on the bed. “Whenever I get really stressed or depressed, my body just…stops. I go into this coma-like sleep. No doctor has been able to figure out what causes it, or any kind of cure.”

“I see,” Spanner hummed.

“The first time I Stopped, I was asleep for three years.” Spanner’s eyebrows shot up into his bangs. “The second time, it was three days. The third time was a week. My mother passed away while I was asleep…I didn’t even get to say good-bye to her.”

“Oh, Sho…” Spanner whispered.

“Ever since I moved here, it’s happened sporadically. This was the longest Stop I’ve been in for over a year, actually.”

“And you didn’t think to bring this up during our little confessional awhile ago?” Spanner asked, though he was smiling now.

“I honestly didn’t think about it!” he said.

“And you call it a Stop,” Spanner said, definitely teasing him now.

“Hey, I discovered it, I get to name it,” he said, blushing.

The mechanic wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into another tight embrace. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said into his hair. Shoichi hugged him back, kissing his neck.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, humble reminder I wrote this fic two years ago, and any mistakes in the Italian are completely unintentional.

It took forever for Shoichi to get caught up on his missed classwork. He was lucky that the professor understood his situation, and offered to let him turn it in late. By the time he finally had some free time, it had been a whole week since he woke up.

“I’m so tired of sitting at this desk,” he said to Spanner late Friday night.

“Hello to you too,” Spanner said, his voice echoing a bit.

“Where are you?” he asked, adjusting his phone.

“Ship,” Spanner said simply. “Had to make sure the cloaking device was still holding up, and also doing more maintenance checks.”

“Is everyone still hanging around the lake?”

“Nah,” Spanner said. “Everything’s gone. You’re safe.”

“Thank goodness. I need to go back there soon. Is my bike still around?”

“I haven’t checked,” Spanner said, a smile in his voice. “Do you want company?”

“I’m gonna go for a walk, probably head to the park,” Shoichi said, smiling out of his window. Spanner was amazing. “If you’re so inclined, you may or may or not find me there.”

“I may or may not show up,” Spanner said.

Shoichi chuckled and hung up.

It was nearing midnight, and it was raining. Everything was misty and wet, raindrops shining in white streetlights like tiny diamonds. He brought an umbrella with him, the rain pattering softly off of the black plastic in a harmonic rhythm. 

“Shoichi?” came a voice from one of the houses he was passing. He looked up, suddenly realizing he was by Tsuna’s place.

“Oh my God, you’re okay!” he said, running outside and hugging him as soon as he reached the redhead. Shoichi laughed and hugged back.

“I’m okay!”

“I always get worried when you do that!” Tsuna said, punching his shoulder lightly. “I know it’s not your fault, but still.”

“Sorry to have scared you,” Shoichi said, feeling a burst of affection for his friend. He missed him. “I’ve been really busy with schoolwork, and I finally have a moment to myself.”

“Do you want company?” Tsuna asked.

“Yes, please.”

The brunette fluffball ran back into his house, and Shoichi stayed by the gate, waiting patiently. Tsuna came back outside wearing boots and a black jacket, followed by Gokudera, who was holding an umbrella.

“The king has returned,” Gokudera said.

“I missed you too, Gokudera,” Shoichi said happily.

The three of them started toward the park. Tsuna filled him in on goings-on while he had been asleep. A professor had fallen ill, there was a blood drive, Gokudera nearly blew up the cafeteria again. It seemed like ever since Tsuna revealed his big “coming out” story, he’d started using that dynamite in everyday situations where he was angry. 

They had come to visit him a few times, and, “Spanner was always there,” Tsuna said. “He really digs you, Shoichi.”

“I really dig him,” Shoichi said, blushing a bit.

They arrived at the park, all misty gloom and bright streetlights. It was honestly beautiful. He sat down on a swing, his jacket blocking the seat of his jeans from getting soaked. 

“How are you two doing, anyway? Together, I mean?”

“We’re great,” Tsuna said, and his face lit up when he said it. “Right, Gokudera?”

Gokudera didn’t answer, but his expression took on a prideful, _‘Of course we are, I love Tsuna!’_ look. It was nice to see his best friends so happy.

“How are you and Spanner? Though you’ve only been together for a couple weeks, right?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen much of him lately,” Shoichi said. “But now that I’m back on track at school, I’m hoping to change that. We’re terrific aside from that. He’s very helpful and patient.”

“Those are good qualities,” Tsuna said. “Unlike this one,” A jerk of his thumb toward the silver-haired man, “who tries to murder everyone who wrongs him.”

“I do not!”

“Yes, you do,” Shoichi and Tsuna said in unison.

They talked for a bit longer, playing around on the dripping wet slides and monkey bars just for the hell of it. It felt fun to hang around and shoot the breeze with his friends again, it really did. Another reason why it upset him so much to fall into a Stop; he didn’t want to drift from his friends ever again. It hurt once to go through that already, he didn’t want to lose Gokudera and Tsuna, too.

“Have I missed anything?” Spanner asked suddenly. Shoichi turned to look at him, not having even heard him approach.

“You came!” he said, jumping off of the rickety bridge connecting the slide platform to the jungle gym and hugged him tightly.

“Hey, Sho,” Spanner whispered into his hair, giving him a soft kiss.

“You called me Sho,” he murmured, staring into his green eyes.

“Am I allowed?”

“Yeah, it sounds nice,” Shoichi said, nuzzling into his palm.

“I’m gonna puke,” Gokudera said from behind them.

“Like you’re any better,” Shoichi shot back playfully.

“I am, actually.”

“You purposely let me win at video games, shut your mouth,” Tsuna said, rolling his eyes.

The rain stopped a few minutes later. They all sat down on the same bench, pressed together, looking up at the stars that were slowly becoming visible from the dissipating rain clouds. Shoichi’s hand was tightly grasping Spanner’s, and he had no doubt Gokudera and Tsuna were doing the same thing.

“Do you think aliens are looking down on us, Tsuna?” Gokudera asked, his breath coming out in puffs resembling smoke.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” he replied.

“I think they are,” Gokudera said. “Watching us. Studying us.”

“Will they ever come say hi?” Tsuna asked patiently. Shoichi thought, this must be it. Part of being in love. Rolling with your lover’s quirks and learning to love them. He wanted that with Spanner, too.

“Probably not,” Gokudera sneered. “Homophobia is what makes them fly straight past us.”

Spanner started snickering, and Shoichi squeezed his hand, laughing a bit too.

“You know, I can get on board with that,” Shoichi said from behind his hand.

“Me too,” Tsuna said, giggling.

“End homophobia, welcome our alien brethren,” Shoichi said.

“Hear, hear!” everyone chimed in.

They stayed at the park until nearly three in the morning, and only left because they saw a cop car drive slowly down the adjoining street. Not wanting to give the impression they were up to something, they all headed back. Somehow the four of them ended up in Spanner’s apartment, eating anything and everything that could be covered in chocolate syrup and playing an action movie while they all laid around a board game none of them were following the rules to.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to take that space unless you have 200 points saved up,” Tsuna said.

“I’m taking it because I want to,” Gokudera said.

“Equally sure I was the yellow figure, not the red one,” Shoichi said.

“And Spanner’s cheating,” Gokudera threw out.

“I am not,” Spanner said as he stopped the movie. The menu music had been playing in a loop for the past ten minutes.

“You took an extra thirty points for no reason!”

“It’s _my_ board game.”

“You’re all five,” Shoichi sighed affectionately. “Let’s just count the points we gained fair and square.”

“Not until Spanner admits he cheated!”

“You cheated too, Gokudera,” Tsuna said, nudging him.

“How about we go to bed?” Spanner suggested. “It’s going to be six am soon.”

“I am pretty exhausted,” Tsuna said. “Thanks for letting us stay here, Spanner. You have a pretty nice place.”

“I try,” he said with a small smile.

Spanner uprooted his sheets and blankets from his own bed and put together a nest for the both of them in the living room. Gokudera and Tsuna were each in a sleeping bag.

“I love you, Gokudera,” came the softest of whispers, and Shoichi could tell Tsuna was trying his hardest to be quiet.

“I love you, too,” Gokudera said tenderly.

“I hate you both,” came Spanner’s whisper next. Everyone collapsed into hysterical giggles. After the laughter faded though, Shoichi wondered…should he say it? He was pretty in love with Spanner, but saying it was something else entirely.

Should he? Should he not? Would Spanner be upset? Would he - 

“I love you, Shoichi,” Spanner said, not seeming to care if the other two heard because he didn’t keep his voice down. Shoichi broke out into the widest smile.

“I love you too,” he said back.

“God, _shut up!”_ Gokudera groaned playfully.

****

Shoichi awoke to the sound of arguing and bright light in his eyes. He squinted and reached for his glasses, yawning widely as he put the frames on his face. The bright light was the sun, and the arguing was Spanner and Gokudera going back and forth in rapid Italian in the kitchen. He smiled; what the hell were they bickering about?

Tsuna came out of the bathroom just then, his hair wet and towel-dried, making him look fluffier than usual. “Welcome back,” he said. “Shower is all yours.”

“What’s going on in there?” Shoichi asked, jerking his thumb toward the kitchen.

“I don’t know,” he said. “They were arguing about cooking before the Italian started, so I’m assuming it’s more of that?”

_“Che cazzo…”_ Shoichi muttered, yawning again. He stood up and went into the kitchen just in time to see Gokudera pull out a handful of dynamite and Spanner looking completely unfazed by it, his usual half-lidded, indifferent gaze fixed on him.

_“Mangia merda e morte!”_ Gokudera yelled.

“Your boyfriend has quite a mouth on him,” Spanner said, looking at Tsuna. 

“Gokudera, put the dynamite down!” Tsuna said.

“Like you’re one to talk!” Gokudera snarled back.

“What the hell were you two arguing about, anyway?” Shoichi asked, standing in front of Spanner.

It turned out Gokudera was playing backseat-driver to Spanner’s cooking, and all it took was one subtle dig at Gokudera to get him going. 

“Stop starting fights with people who have bombs, for the love of God!” Shoichi griped at his boyfriend. Spanner merely smirked.

“But it’s so fun.”

“It’s fun until someone ends up dead!”

Tsuna continued trying to soothe Gokudera, and Spanner went back to cooking. Whatever it was smelled delicious. “What are you making, anyway?”

“Pizza pancakes,” Spanner said.

“That sounds amazing!” Tsuna and Shoichi chimed in together.

It turned out Spanner’s cooking was good enough to impress even Gokudera. Tsuna swore he was coming back every day.

“He’s taken,” Shoichi joked, squeezing Spanner’s hand.

“You can keep Jolly Green Giant over there, we just want the food,” Gokudera said. Everyone laughed, but they were cut off suddenly by a strange noise. It was a loud humming   
sound.

“Be right back,” Spanner said, scooting back from the table.

“What is that?” Shoichi asked.

“Work,” Spanner sighed. Shoichi was mildly concerned that Spanner didn’t sound too thrilled.

“Hello?” came the distant greeting, like he was answering a cell phone. The table conversation turned to homework, so he put it out of his mind for now.

“We should make study schedules for our finals coming up before winter break,” Shoichi suggested.

“That’s not for another three months.”

“Never too early!”

“God, you’re such a nerd,” Gokudera said. Everyone ignored the hypocrisy of that statement. Spanner came back a few minutes later, and he looked incredibly agitated.

“Are you okay?!” Shoichi asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Spanner said. But it was too late, he was already worrying about him. What had happened?

Breakfast continued amiably, and then around two o'clock, Gokudera and Tsuna decided to split. Shoichi was so worried about Spanner at this point that he saw it of more of a relief than anything; which he felt bad for, but he couldn’t help it.

“Let’s hang out again soon, okay?” he said.

“Definitely!” Tsuna said, waving. “Bye, guys!”

_“Ciao,”_ Gokudera said, waving his hand.

Shoichi shut the door and found Spanner sitting on the couch. “You’ve only been here for three weeks,” he said softly. “What could’ve happened?”

“And I only checked in twice, they were getting concerned,” Spanner said. “Though by 'concerned’, I mean nosy.”

Shoichi remained quiet, not sure what to say. Spanner sighed and continued. “They went into my ship’s video surveillance feed.”

“What could they have - oh, no,” Shoichi said, suddenly realizing he had been on Spanner’s ship one night.

“Yeah,” the blonde said, running agitated fingers through his hair, mussing it. “They saw you, and it was a member of Black Spell that called me on my communicator. Of course audio is included in the tapes, too.” He gave a sarcastic smile and Shoichi gulped.

“Simulation called me your boyfriend,” he said.

“Yes, she did,” Spanner said. “Now I have to come up with a reason you were there, and fast, by tonight.”

“They’re gonna call you again?”

“Video conference. But that’s not all.”

“No?” Shoichi asked, his anxiety spiking higher.

“They want you to be there,” he said.

“Oh, great!” the redhead groaned. “The last thing I need is a bunch of aliens pissed off at me.” He sat down next to Spanner. He had to be there for him. Spanner was there for him when he was having a meltdown over Shamal. Now he had to return the favor.

“I guess we better corroborate our story,” Shoichi said. “When are they gonna call?”

“No idea,” Spanner said with another disgusted smile. “They just said 'tonight’.”

“They’re gonna keep you on your toes until well into the night for all you know, huh?”

“Pretty much. I really dislike these guys.”

“I’m sorry,” Shoichi said.

“Don’t be,” he said, pulling a lollipop out of his shirt pocket. “I’ll get through this.”

Shoichi shook his head and smiled, and putting a hand over Spanner’s knee. “We’ll get through this.”

The smile on Spanner’s face was worth it.

****

They spent the rest of the afternoon coming up with a cover story. Shoichi had no idea if it would work, but he said a million mental prayers and hoped beyond hope that Spanner wouldn’t have to go home. 

He laid on the couch watching a movie at fifteen til nine while Spanner was in his room doing something. Commercials came on five minutes later, and Spanner reappeared. Shoichi had to do a double take to make sure he was seeing what he was actually seeing!

The mechanic was dressed in a black uniform of some kind. Solid black pants, white boots, and a zip-up black jacket with heavy silver shoulder pads, strange designs engraved in the material. It looked like some kind of family crest. Two crossing trees, or flowers, maybe? He couldn’t tell.

“Spanner?” he squeaked.

“Sorry,” Spanner replied, tugging at the collar and looking incredibly inconvenienced. “I thought it would make a better impression if I wore my uniform for this.”

“You look very…um…” Shoichi rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to insult him. “Different.”

Spanner smirked. “I don’t like wearing this, either.”

He sat down next to him on the couch. The movie was back on, but Shoichi couldn’t find it in him to pay attention right now.

“So what are the rules?” he asked. “Don’t speak unless spoken to, that kind of thing?”

“That might be best,” Spanner said. “Just stick to our story, and let me do most of the talking.”

“Okay.”

Suddenly that low hum sounded again. Spanner muttered something in an exasperated tone in his language and stood up. He placed the communicator on the coffee table after Shoichi turned the television off and pushed a button.

What happened next was something Shoichi only saw in sci-fi movies.

The images came out of the device, like a hologram. Spanner looked completely unimpressed by it; probably because he was used to it. There were several men in the image; all of them dressed in the same black uniform as Spanner.

“Well, he must’ve been nervous, look at what he’s wearing!” said the middle man - Shoichi presumed he was the leader. Even in the tiny projection, Shoichi could tell he was tall. Possibly taller than Spanner, even. He had slicked-back blonde hair, narrow blue eyes, and fair skin. He was idly twirling a long pool cue around in his hands, giving him an air of arrogance.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Spanner said.

“Fine,” the man said. “Spanner of Black Spell, we’ve called you into this conference to voice some concerns.”

_'Black Spell, of course, that explains the uniforms,’_ Shoichi thought. Then suddenly he wondered if these guys could read his mind over video. That thought scared him.  
“Concerns you wouldn’t have in the first place if you hadn’t been going through my surveillance tapes, but go on,” Spanner replied snarkily. 

“Hey, your ship is technically property of the Millefiore. I’m allowed to go through it if I have reason to doubt you,” the blonde man said.

“More like you got drunk and wanted to snoop,” Spanner said.

“How dare you talk to Gamma like that!” said another person. Shoichi jumped at their high voice. They had tan skin, honey-gold eyes, and long, purple hair. They’d be handsome if they weren’t screaming at Spanner at the moment.

“Calm down, calm down,” Gamma said, waving a hand idly at them. “We’re all Black Spell members here, let’s handle this maturely.”

“So what are your concerns?” Spanner asked.

“Radish-top over there,” Gamma said, pointing at Shoichi. “What is your relation to him?”

“One of the rules in the guidelines I was given before coming to earth specifically stated I was allowed to have business contacts with humans,” Spanner said simply. “I thought Shoichi Irie was trustworthy and revealed my intergalactic status and intentions. He’s kept my secret completely.”

“It was also against the rules for you disclose your 'intergalactic status and intentions’ to humans in the first place,” Gamma reprimanded, using finger quotes. Shoichi disliked this guy already. “Do you have any idea how _damaging_ that could be to us?”

On the bright side, Shoichi was realizing that they couldn’t possibly be able to read his mind over video, or else this conversation wouldn’t be happening. They would know they were lying on the spot.

_'Well…so far none of this is a complete lie, but…’_

“And do you honestly think I would just disclose that information to anybody?” Spanner asked. “He had already earned my trust by then.”

“How?”

“He took the pact of silence,” Spanner said. Shoichi had no idea what the pact of silence was, but he nodded anyway, going along with it.

“Humans don’t take pacts of silence nearly as seriously as we do,” Gamma scoffed. “They’ll spill as soon as something doesn’t go their way to save their own hides.”

“That’s not the case,” he said. “They have _omertà.”_

Shoichi at least knew what that was, from Shamal. It was a vow of silence mafia families used.

“And they take this seriously?” Gamma asked, looking skeptical. 

“Absolutely,” Spanner said.

“We do,” Shoichi cut in, figuring he should say something. Gamma sneered at him.

“And you’re willing to accept death as the ultimate penalty for Spanner’s identity getting out, no questions asked?" 

"Yes,” Shoichi said. “Because I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone. And I intend to keep it.”

“And if your government finds out?”

“I won’t cross that bridge, but if it comes to it, I’ll figure out something.” He pushed his glasses up.

“And what of your ship saying this man is your lover?” Gamma inquired.

“She’s a _smartass!”_ Spanner sighed, exasperated. “Everyone in Black Spell knows that!”

“So you’re his… _business partner,”_ Gamma continued. “What business?”

“He doesn’t know a lot about earth, so I offered to teach him, to help him blend in,” Shoichi said simply. “There are only so many things you can learn through computer courses.”

“Our computer courses are top-notch,” Gamma argued.

“And being isolated on a strange planet sucks,” Shoichi countered. “Let Spanner have a friend. It won’t hurt anything, I assure you.”

“He knew what the rules were when he requested this asinine mission in the first place.”

“And things change.”

Everyone stared at him, including Spanner, who was in awe. Shoichi smirked a bit, casting a sideways glance at him.  
“Yes…things do change,” Gamma said, stroking his chin. “This relationship is to be strictly professional, nothing more. If I get wind of anything else, or you breaking _omertà,_ there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Duly noted,” Shoichi said, not breaking his steely gaze from Gamma. Gamma leaned forward, as if to press a button, and suddenly the hologram disappeared, leaving silence in its wake.

“Are…are they gone?” Shoichi asked. “Is it safe?”

“Yep. It’s safe,” Spanner said, picking up the communicator and switching it off. He turned and grinned at Shoichi. “You’re a little badass, you know that?”

Another push of his glasses, just to hide his blush for a second. “I didn’t…do anything, really.”

“You totally held your own against Gamma, I’ve never seen anybody stand up to him before!”

“Well, what are _boyfriends_ for?” he said, emphasizing his favorite word and pressing a hard kiss against Spanner’s lips. Spanner pulled him close, and they didn’t stop kissing for the next hour.


	11. Chapter 11

Shoichi was a little bit apprehensive after that call with Gamma, but after a couple weeks with no more incidents, he started to relax a bit. September turned into October, and the green foliage around them turned bright orange and red. The sun set sooner, the nights were cooler, coffee shops were serving pumpkin spice latte’s, and he got to wear his favorite sweaters. Shoichi was in his element.

“God, you’re such a nerd,” Shamal said, rubbing the side of his head as he watched Shoichi with one cracked eye take photos of the trees in the yard. “They look the same every year!”

“No, they absolutely don’t,” Shoichi said, snapping another photo, the loud shutter sound going off on his phone. He was dressed today in black jeans and a plaid button-up shirt in various shades of gray, under a wool sweater that matched his hair color. He bought brown lace-up boots recently and was wearing them in. Shamal was in his usual black suit, purple tie, and white coat attire. He had no sense of the seasons, Shoichi thought.

“Oh by the way, I’m going to a Halloween party next week,” Shamal said, smiling. He went to a Halloween party every year, but Shoichi thought it was nice that he still bothered to tell him. It was the kind of party that involved him trying to get drunk and laid, but still, the heads’ up was nice.

Shoichi snapped another photo. “Okay.”

“What are your plans?”

Shoichi stood up and moved to the other side of the tree, trying to get a new angle. “Um, I think Tsuna and Gokudera want to go trick-or-treating.”

“Aren’t ya’ll a little too old for that?” Shamal smirked.

“I’m not going!” Shoichi said. “I might just hang out with Spanner.”

“I asked for your plans, not the peanut gallery,” Shamal said.

“In that case, I’m going to the Halloween party with you to follow you around and ruin any and all chance you have at getting laid by acting like a needy nephew,” Shoichi grinned.

“You do that anyway!” Shamal threw a gardening glove at him and turned to go inside, Shoichi laughing in his wake. The doctor still had the cast on his leg, and it was covered in phone numbers and signatures at this point. It had only been five weeks though, and he knew Shamal was sick of the cast, lady magnet or otherwise. 

He snapped a few more photos of the tree and smiled broadly when he saw his boyfriend come out of his apartment. Spanner ambled over to his yard. 

“You’re a photographer?”

“More of a photo junkie, really,” he said, pushing his glasses up. “And I like fall.”

“It is really pretty,” Spanner said, looking up to the top of the tree. 

“Do you have fall where you’re from?”

“No,” Spanner said. “This is my first time experiencing it in person.”

“Hey, stand in front of the tree,” Shoichi said, gesturing for Spanner to come forward. Spanner raised an eyebrow in curiosity but did as he was told. 

“Now lean against it and smile.”

Spanner did, and he looked breath-taking, his black coat blending in nicely with the dark bark of tree, an easy smile on his lips. Shoichi took three photos of him like that, all at different angles.

“What exactly are you doing this for?” Spanner asked, looking amused.

“I’m preserving your memory,” Shoichi said. “Because you’re my boyfriend, and I love you, and you’re also very attractive.”

“Do all couples do this?” he asked, his smile growing wider as his gaze followed Shoichi around, the redhead walking to get a more far away shot of him.

“It’s a common thing,” he replied.

“Hm,” Spanner said, pulling out his own phone. “Now I want to take pictures of you.”

Shoichi chuckled, blushing. “Okay!”

He sat in front of the tree, unable to help laughing as Spanner took his own pictures of him. Spanner smiled fondly at his screen after he took five, flipping through them. “You look so beautiful. Your laugh is very genuine.”

“I just couldn’t keep a straight face is all!” he said bashfully.

“I like these,” Spanner said. “I’m gonna keep ‘em.”

“Come sit next to me,” Shoichi said, getting an idea. Spanner sat, crossing his long legs. Shoichi leaned as close to him as he could and stretched his arm above their heads, holding his phone to face them.

“These are called 'selfies’,” Shoichi said, and took a couple photos.

“That’s such a good idea, us together,” Spanner said, smiling for the camera. Shoichi loved his smile so much. He took a bunch and flipped through them, Spanner leaning his head close so he could see.

In about half, Spanner was looking at the camera, but in the other half, his green-eyed gaze was fixed on the redhead. 

“I love these,” he whispered with a smile.

****

It ended up raining on Halloween. Shoichi didn’t know if this was going to deter anyone from their plans, so he just settled into a couch nest with a bag of candy corn after texting Spanner, telling him to come over anytime he wanted. 

“No boyfriend tonight?” Shamal asked, coming out of his bedroom. His 'costume’ consisted of his usual outfit along with a cheaply-made, tacky monster mask.

“He’s probably going to come over,” Shoichi said, dropping about five pieces of candy into his mouth.

“Don’t be worried if I don’t come home tonight,” Shamal said. “I’m gonna be getting my - ”

“Don’t finish that sentence!” Shoichi pleaded. Shamal cackled and walked over to him, shoving his hand into the bag of candy with a loud crumpling sound, withdrawing over half the bag in his large bear paw.

“Asshole,” Shoichi griped.

“And who paid for this candy?” Shamal asked with a smug grin dropping some into his mouth.

“How are you getting to this party with a cast on your leg?” Shoichi asked.

“A _donna sensuale_ is coming to pick me up,” he said.

“You have a date, and you’re still going to try to pick up women?!” Shoichi asked in complete disbelief. Shamal merely shrugged. He shook his head and went back to his movie. A few minutes later, a car honked outside. 

“That’s me!” Shamal said brightly. _“A domani!”_

“Wear a condom,” Shoichi said, waving his hand idly. Shamal pranced downstairs, slamming the door behind him. Shoichi got up to lock it just so he wouldn’t forget later and went back to his movie.

His phone rang ten minutes later, and he answered it with his mouth full.

“Hello, lover,” he said. Spanner chuckled.

“Did Shamal leave?”

“Mhm.”

Suddenly a bright light appeared in the living room and Shoichi shielded his eyes, knowing immediately what was happening. And sure enough, Spanner was kissing him before his eyes had time to adjust.

“I didn’t know you were one for dramatic entrances,” Shoichi whispered against his lips.

“I just wanted to show off for you,” he said back in between sweet pecks on the lips.

“You don’t have to try to woo me, space man, I’m already yours,” he said flirtatiously, moving his legs so Spanner would have room to sit. Spanner crawled over to him and laid down, kissing his neck.

“A movie and candy?” Spanner hummed contentedly, throwing an arm over his waist.

“Damn right.”

Though he ended up paying far less attention to the movie than originally planned, his brain liking the idea of kissing Spanner far more. Oh well, he’d already seen this a few times, anyway. He rolled over on top of him and wrapped his arms around his neck, nuzzling his nose under his jaw.

“I love you,” Spanner whispered. “I’m so happy I came here. Of all places.”

“I’m happy you did, too,” Shoichi agreed. “I love you so much.”

He moved his kisses to his neck, focusing on his tattoo, sucking lightly at the center of it. Spanner had a bigger reaction than he had expected, and he had the blonde panting lightly underneath him after leaving a good-sized hickey.

“You like that?” he teased, running fingers through his hair.

“Yes,” Spanner said breathlessly. 

“You want more?” he said, pressing his mouth against Spanner’s ear. Spanner shivered. Taking that as a yes, he pressed his mouth against a different spot and sucked another claim into his skin. Spanner’s panting got louder, and he licked the sensitive bruise teasingly when he was finished, liking very much the small moan that came out of his boyfriend at that.

“I might have to go home for a bit if you keep this up,” Spanner teased, his cheeks a dark red, his eyes slightly glazed over.

“I just discovered what turns my boyfriend on,” Shoichi said, feeling a slight sense of triumph at this for some reason. Spanner looked like he was coming undone, and so relaxed, and it was because of him. 

“Yes, you did,” Spanner said, stretching a bit. “I think I might do that, actually. I’ll be back shortly.”

He started to sit up, and while Shoichi admired his honesty, he didn’t want him to leave. “Wait,” he said softly, smiling tenderly down at him. “I got you.”

Spanner laid down again, and Shoichi unzipped his jeans. All it took was ten minutes, and Spanner, red in the face and arching, came all over Shoichi’s hand with a cry of his name.

****

Spanner showered and borrowed Shoichi’s pajamas to sleep in. They didn’t even discuss him spending the night, and he liked that it was an unspoken thing. However, when Spanner came out of his room, Shoichi had to try to hold back laughter.

Spanner was wearing his light blue PJ’s with stars and crescent moons on them, complete with the matching nightcap. Shamal had bought those for him as a joke on his last birthday, and he’d never worn them - but not knowing what else to do with them, he’d shoved them into the bottom of his pajama drawer.

“Why?” was all he was able to get out. Spanner didn’t look the least bit bothered.

“I really like these,” he said simply.

“Whatever makes Spanner happy,” he chuckled. 

All of a sudden he heard a frantic pounding on the door - the kind where your brain immediately registers it as your friends being loud morons.

“Ir-i-e!” came Gokudera’s joyful voice. “Let us in!”

“What time is it?!” Shoichi looked at the clock. Eleven. “Guess trick-or-treat is over.”

“What is 'trick-or-treat’?” Spanner asked as Shoichi unraveled himself from the mess of blankets on the couch.

“It’s a Halloween tradition where you dress in a costume and go to people’s doors asking for candy,” he explained as he went down the stairs. “Usually you see kids doing it.”

“So of course Gokudera would be doing it too,” came Spanner’s teasing statement from above. Shoichi grinned and opened the door.

It was still raining, quite heavily. Tsuna and Gokudera stood on his porch completely soaked, wearing matching vampire costumes. And, Shoichi had to admit, they looked cute. 

They were also holding pillow cases that were blatantly bulging with candy.

“Good haul this year!” Gokudera said, shoving past him. 

“Man, my feet are sore!” Tsuna said as he followed Gokudera, both of them slipping off their wet shoes. 

“You went out in the rain?!” Shoichi asked.

“Of course!” Gokudera said, peeling his mask off, which he had previously been wearing on the side of his head.

“Free candy, Shoichi,” Tsuna added, like it was obvious.

“Giant dorks, the both of you,” Shoichi sighed affectionately as they all went up the stairs together. “You’re gonna catch cold!”

“Yeah, that reminds me, can we borrow your shower and some clo - what are you wearing?!” Gokudera asked Spanner, looking incredulously at his pajamas.

“Don’t be jealous,” Spanner smirked.

“Who could be jealous of that?!”

“Can we borrow your shower and some clothes?” Tsuna asked bashfully, running his fingers through his damp locks.

“Yeah, you can use Sham - I mean, no, God knows what you’d find in there,” he backtracked. “Use mine.”

“You’re a pal,” Tsuna said, yanking Gokudera back into Shoichi’s bedroom with him to stop an incoming argument between the two.

“Leave it as you found it!” Shoichi yelled suddenly. Gokudera laughed and slammed the door.

“Sorry about this,” Shoichi said, casting an apologetic look at Spanner. “I can make them leave if you want. It’s no big deal.”

“I like your friends,” Spanner said, moving his lollipop stick back and forth in his mouth. “They take care of you.”

“You take care of me too,” Shoichi said. Spanner looked so pleased upon hearing this. Shoichi rooted around in the couch for the phone, finally finding it stuffed between two cushions. He pressed the speed dial to the local pizza place (He was sure at this point Spanner wasn’t surprised by this), and ordered two large pizzas and cannolis, making sure to tell the disgruntled employee to put it on Shamal’s tab.

“Food!” Tsuna chirped cheerfully twenty minutes later, both he and Gokudera coming out of his room, looking incredibly pleased to hear he had ordered out. Shoichi was a bit surprised, considering he and Gokudera had probably eaten a ton of candy.

“I think they were about to close, they didn’t sound too happy with me,” Shoichi said. Tsuna was wearing black sweatpants and one of his dark blue “Blood & Pepper” band T-Shirts. He actually looked pretty good in it. Gokudera was wearing red, plaid sweatpants and a long, black shirt he didn’t even remember owning.

They stayed up until three am watching awful scary movies, laughing continuously at the sarcastic, running commentary Gokudera kept up. He seemed to have a natural skill for that. He ate more peanut butter cups than he ever had in his life, and passed out holding Spanner’s hand.

He wanted these good times to last forever.

****

“I had the weirdest dream last night,” Gokudera said the next morning, in between all of them waking up, but not moving from their spots on the floor just yet. “Tsuna was a mafia boss. I was his right-hand man. Shoichi and Spanner were technicians in the mafia family, and we were trying to save the world.”

Nobody spoke for several long seconds until Tsuna’s chuckling broke the silence. “That would never happen,” he said.


	12. Chapter 12

November slipped by in a waft of crisp, cold air, and before Shoichi knew it, it was December. His birthday month, and also the time when he had to study for winter finals. This didn’t mean time away from Spanner, though. The blonde came over frequently, making him food and helping him study.

_‘Marry this man!’_ Shamal had mouthed to him one day behind Spanner’s back as he passed his room, the smell of ribollita filling every cranny of the clinic. Patients downstairs would often question where the wonderful food aromas were coming from, and Shoichi would swell in pride every time he heard, “My, it smells delicious in here!”

“Happy birthday, you twit,” Shamal said on the morning of December third, tossing a package onto his bed. Shoichi groaned loudly and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Thanks,” he said. “This isn’t another pair of ugly pajamas, is it?”

“See for yourself!” Shamal said, leaning against the doorway. Shoichi tore open the small package, honestly not knowing what to expect. 

“Hey, wow!” he said happily, examining the contents. It was the newest Blood & Peppers album, which he hadn’t a chance to buy since it came out a couple months ago. And also their newest T-Shirt!

“Thanks!” he said, burying his face in the soft, cotton material. “These are aces, Shamal!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving a hand. “Enjoy.”

He showered and changed into some clean clothes, black jeans and his new shirt pulled on over a black Henley. He looked in the mirror and examined his hair while he brushed it. 

_'I need a haircut,’_ he thought. He found a ponytail in a drawer and pulled his hair back. He smiled.

_'Hey, I look pretty handsome right now.’_ It wasn’t often he thought that about himself. Suddenly his cell phone started making noise. He picked it up off of his beside table and saw a text from Gokudera.

_'Happy birthday, your highness’_ it said. Shoichi grinned and texted back a thank you. He wandered into the kitchen where Shamal was downing a cup of coffee. It was a Saturday, so Shoichi didn’t have to be in class, for which he was thankful. Having to be at school on his birthday growing up was the biggest pain.

“What’s for breakfast?” he asked.

“The tears of orphans and a heaping plate of shut-the-fuck-up,” Shamal replied. Shoichi sighed heavily and looked in the fridge. Eggs and bacon, he could work with that.

“Do we have any bread?” he asked.

“Who knows, ask your boyfriend.”

“I’m asking you!”

He ended up making eggs and bacon sandwiches. In the middle of an early-morning cartoon and his breakfast, he got a text from Tsuna.

_“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!11111”_

_“Thanks! >8-D”_

He called Spanner next, hoping the mechanic was awake.

“Hello?” came a warm, sleepy voice. 

“Hey Spanner,” he said. “Do you have work today?”

“Nope,” he replied. “Why?”

“Maybe I want to see you today.”

“Maybe I had plans,” Spanner answered jokingly.

“That’s bullshit, I’m the most important person the world,” Shoichi chuckled.

“That are you are,” Spanner said, a smile in his voice, and then groaned like he was stretching,. “See you in thirty minutes?”

“I’ll be at the clinic.”

He hung up. He had just picked up a remaining bit of bacon when his phone started ringing again.

“Jeez, aren’t you Mr. Popular,” came Shamal’s voice from the kitchen.

“Yeah ri - ” he stopped, his finger hovering over the answer button, thankful he didn’t push it. The number came up as an unknown caller, but he still recognized who it was.

He hit 'ignore’ with shaky fingers and erased the missed the call from his log. He didn’t want any part of that. He tried to put it out of his mind and went back to his television show, a bit rattled.

Fifteen minutes later he was distracted by yelling at the door. More of his friends being loud morons.

“You better be dressed, Irie!” Gokudera yelled, obviously hyper.

“God, make them go away!” Shamal moaned. Shoichi rolled his eyes, laughing a bit, and hopped downstairs.

“What the hell do you want?” he asked, laughing.

“Cancel all your plans for tonight, you’re coming with us,” Tsuna said. They were dressed in heavy coats and scarves. Shoichi let them in and shut the door. 

“What is this about?”

Tsuna pulled out four rectangular slips of paper, looking utterly proud of himself. “We stayed up all night to get these.”

“Not in the cold, I hope?” Shoichi asked, having no idea what he was supposed to be looking at.

“Hell no,” Gokudera scoffed. “But I don’t want to see another computer for the next week.”

“What did you guys do?” he asked, heart beating in anticipation. He took the slips of paper from Tsuna and - 

“Oh, no way!” he yelled. There, in sure and true black ink, was **'Blood & Peppers: Front row’.** “How in the hell?!”

“Don’t ask,” Gokudera said. “It starts at eight, by the way.”

“What are we doing until then?”

“No idea!” Tsuna said merrily. “By the way, where’s Spanner?”

“Oh, he should be here soon,” Shoichi said. “He’s coming over.”

“Perfect, because we got a ticket for him, too,” Gokudera said. “If he misses it, he’s paying me back.”

Shoichi was honestly touched. “Thanks, guys…”

“I’m too hung-over for all this nonsense,” Shamal said, leaning over the railing and looking down at them.

“It’s a low-key kidnapping, let us have our fun,” Tsuna said.

A much softer rapping sounded on the clinic door, and Shoichi opened it, recognizing Spanner’s knock. “Hey!”

He jumped on him and hugged him tightly, taking in his scent of shampoo and clean, winter air.

“H-ey, Shoichi!” he laughed, stumbling backward a bit. Shoichi only clung tighter.

“Now my day is really complete, because my boyfriend is here,” Shoichi said, smiling widely.

“Gross,” came Gokudera’s voice.

“Is there some kind of special occasion?” Spanner asked, his green eyes darting around at the crowd of people in front of him. And as quickly as his good mood had come, it was gone again. In the stress of all the studying he’d been doing lately, he’d completely forgotten to tell Spanner it was his birthday today.

Gokudera let out a bark of laughter. “Try not to hold it against him, mechanic. Irie is forgetful sometimes.”

“I’m really sorry,” he said, hiding his face in his hands. “It’s my birthday.”

“Oh…” Spanner said. He sounded hurt.

“I was so focused on studying for finals lately, it slipped my mind. I didn’t do it on purpose, I promise!”

“He really didn’t,” Tsuna said softly, trying to vouch for him.

Spanner took a deep breath. “It’s okay!” he said. “I just feel bad, I don’t have anything for you.”

“I don’t need anything, I’m just happy you’re here,” he said, clinging onto Spanner’s arm. His anxiety was cranked up to twenty now, and he didn’t like it.

Tsuna seemed to sense Shoichi was upset and stepped in. “Hey Gokudera, something smells good inside. Let’s see if they have any food.”

“There’s bacon left,” Shoichi encouraged. His friends disappeared inside and Shoichi immediately buried his face into Spanner’s neck.

“I’m really, really sorry,” he apologized again. “Are you mad?”

“No,” Spanner promised. He sounded genuine, and he even kissed his hair. Spanner wrapped his arms around him and held him close. “Everything is okay, _mio cuore.”_

Shoichi smiled, feeling better now. “They invited me to a concert tonight. My favorite band.”

“That was quite kind of them.”

“You’re invited.”

“Then I’ll be there,” he said sweetly, kissing Shoichi’s ear. “Now let’s get you out of this cold, you’re shivering.”

“Oh. Yeah,” he said, remembering he was still outside.

They went inside. Gokudera and Tsuna had somehow found one of his video games and were munching on bacon while trying to kick each other’s ass in Mario Kart. 

“It’s amazing how easily you two can make yourselves at home here,” Shoichi said.

“We’ve only known you for three years now,” Tsuna smirked.

Shoichi snuggled into Spanner on the couch, and ended up getting drowsy in the middle of their video game. But with as warm as Spanner was, and the mechanic stroking his hair, how could he resist? He let himself close his eyes.

“Is Irie asleep?” Gokudera hissed in a whisper.

“Let him dream,” Spanner said, his voice a deep, soothing rumble, not ceasing the stroking of his hair.

“Hmph.”

Someone turned the volume down on the TV. He fell asleep within minutes.

****

“I’m pretty sure I’m not gonna have a voice tomorrow,” Shoichi said as they stood outside the concert hall. He was happier now than he had been in a long, long time. The concert had just ended, and it had been a blast, to say the least. Blood & Peppers had been his favorite band since he was sixteen years old, and they were his inspiration for wanting to become a musician someday. It wasn’t a serious dream he had, by any means, but anytime he thought about it, he knew B&P was the reason behind it.

“I don’t think any of us will!” Tsuna said. They all been screaming and cheering the entire time. Shoichi still couldn’t believe he had been in the front row! They’d been so close, he’d made eye contact with the lead singer several times. He even got to shake all the members’ hands after the concert, and even got his new T-Shirt Shamal had given him signed!

“This was one of the best nights of my life,” Shoichi said. “Thank you, guys!”

“Hey Irie, make me a mix tape of these guys,” Gokudera said. “They weren’t bad.”

“I’ll be sure to do so,” Shoichi chuckled.

“What music genre was that?” Spanner asked. “I’ve never heard music like that in my life.”

“Synth-pop.”

It was a loud, jovial ride home on the bus. Watching the scenery go from the busy city to the quiet countryside was quite a change, and it felt comfortable. He still wouldn’t change his home for the city again.

The bus dumped them off at a bus stop close to the university, and they walked together in the quiet of the night back to their homes. They got to the clinic first.

“Thanks again, guys,” Shoichi said gratefully.

“No problem,” Tsuna said. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, definitely! Though I might sleep in, I’m so tired!”

“Us too,” Gokudera said. “Night.”

Shoichi waved and watched them disappear down the dark street, conversing quietly with each other as they went. 

“Will you stay over?” Shoichi asked, turning to Spanner.

“Of course,” he said softly, kissing him. “By the way, I got you a birthday present.”

“You did? You didn’t have to!” Shoichi said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

“I wanted to,” Spanner insisted, pulling out his phone. “I ordered it when I said I was using the restroom in between songs at the concert.”

“Seriously?” He grinned, really curious as to what Spanner had gotten for him. 

Spanner kept the screen of his phone hidden from him as he brought up whatever it was. He turned the phone around to show him, and Shoichi was suddenly breathless.

“You bought me a guitar?!” he said, a little loudly, his voice echoing down the dark, empty street.

“Yep. It’ll be here next week.”

“How did you…how did you know what…how?!” he stuttered, completely floored.

“When you fell asleep earlier,” Spanner said, rubbing his head. “I asked Shamal. He said he didn’t know anything about guitars, but you kept information about them around. I found out which one you really wanted from a magazine you had in the living room, and…”

“Wow,” Shoichi said, feeling flattered.

“Was that an invasion of privacy?” Spanner asked.

“No, it wasn’t,” Shoichi said, still staring in awe at this beautiful guitar. It was an acoustic. “Thank you!”

“You’re very welcome.” Spanner beamed.

“I’m gonna kiss you so much tonight,” Shoichi promised as they walked inside. All the lights were on upstairs, which surprised Shoichi. It was almost two in the morning - normally Shamal was in bed by now.

“Whatever you wish,” Spanner replied, squeezing his hand. Shoichi laughed as they walked upstairs, and his eyes immediately fell on two figures sitting on the couch.

One was Shamal. The other was the person who had called him that morning, that number he didn’t answer.

“Hello, Shoichi.”

A long pause.

“Hey, sis.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, Shoichi's sister has a canon name, but I didn't know that when I wrote this. And I don't wanna change it. I'm sorry if that bothers anybody.

Shoichi could feel all eyes on him, the spotlight at a party he didn’t ask for. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. 

His sister, Sachiyo, stood up. “You’ve changed!” she said, making an obvious attempt at being cheerful.

“Well, it has been four years,” he said coldly. His sister had changed too, but not by much. Her eyes were a bit more lined - she was thirty now, if he remembered correctly. Her hair was longer, still the same red-brown in color. Their mother had had dark brown hair, and from photos Shoichi had seen, his dad had bright red hair. Shoichi was the ginger of the family, his sister taking on a combination of both. Her eyes were brown instead of the pine green of Shoichi’s. But they both had the same fair, freckled skin of their dad. Shoichi knew it was obvious to anyone who looked at them together they were siblings.

“Yes…yes, it has,” she said, not retreating from Shoichi’s icy tone. “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed. Are you still on T?”

“Now and always,” he said. He really wanted to get away from her as fast as possible. He could see Spanner out of the corner of his eye, looking a bit uncomfortable. He was afraid Spanner would leave; he didn’t want him to leave. He needed him right now.

“Shamal’s been keeping me updated on you,” Sachiyo continued. Shoichi’s eyes snapped angrily to Shamal, who shrugged.

“I figured she deserved to know,” Shamal said.

“More like you can’t turn down a pretty face,” Shoichi snapped at him, hearing how disgusted he sounded, and not caring. Shamal’s eyes narrowed in a defensive glare, but he didn’t say anything.

“Hey, stop,” Sachiyo said. “I came here to visit my baby bro, let’s not be nasty, okay?”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Shoichi said. “You left for Italy practically right after I woke up from my three-year sleep. You wanted nothing to do with me anymore. You didn’t say anything to me at the funeral, and you didn’t call for a year and a half after the fact. You just left me and mom for that girlfriend of yours - how are you doing, by the way?”

Sachiyo was scowling, and her face was red. “We’re engaged,” she said. “Shoichi, if you would answer your phone for me, you would’ve had an apology a long time ago. I was young then, I didn’t...I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. It was hard on everybody.”

“Especially me!” Shoichi yelled, balling his fists so hard, his fingernails cut into his palm. “I had no friends, my family wouldn’t even look at me!”

“I’m here to make amends!” Sachiyo said. “I’m sorry about what happened, Shoichi. But you’re my brother, and I love you, and I want you back in my life.”

Shoichi remained silent. He could feel tears coming on, which only frustrated him more.

“I got you a little something for your birthday,” she said, pulling an envelope out of her purse. “It doesn’t make up for missing four years, but it’s all I can do for now.”

Shoichi tore open the envelope. It was a basic happy birthday card, and inside it - 

“That’s really generous of you,” he couldn’t help saying, looking at the cash inside. There had to be 30,000 yen in it, roughly 300 dollars in American currency. He couldn’t help converting it in his head, he was a math geek at heart.

Sachiyo looked a bit relieved. “Like I said, it doesn’t make up for - ”

“I don’t want it,” he interrupted, tossing it onto the couch. “Keep it. Use it for your wedding, I don’t care.”

“Shoichi!” she pleaded. 

He couldn’t take this anymore. He turned on his heel and stormed into his room, slamming the door. Part of him thought about locking it, but he always refrained from doing so - he was afraid he’d go into a Stop one day, and if the door was locked, Shamal wouldn’t be able to get to him. 

He turned on his stereo, twisting the volume knob as high as it would go. He could hear voices in the living room, and he didn’t want to know what they were saying about him. “I’m So Sorry” by Imagine Dragons blared from the speakers, and feeling satisfied with this, he collapsed onto his bed and curled up, letting the heavy beat wash over him.

He pressed the side of his face into his pillow and wept, hot tears streaming down his cheeks, his nose running. He sniffed, but he didn’t make any attempt at wiping it away. He was angry, he was so angry! Did she really think she’d be able to waltz into his house unexpectedly and bribe her way back into his good graces?

_‘Well, joke’s on you,’_ he thought as another sob was let loose. 

He heard a knock on the door, and he automatically rolled over. He didn’t say to come in, but Shamal came through the door anyway, shutting it behind him.

“What are you, sixteen?” he asked, glaring at the stereo. 

“Did you know she was coming?” he snapped.

“No,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “And I hate to break this to you, but that wasn’t the end of the discussion out there.”

“All of you can piss off,” Shoichi said. “Why the hell would you talk to her about me?”

“Because she cares about you, Shoichi,” Shamal said, and it was one of the very few times Shoichi heard him use his 'Authoritative Dad’ voice. “She admits she screwed up.”

“I don’t care,” Shoichi said, rolling back over. “She ditched me when I needed my family the most. What the hell does she need to talk about?”

“I don’t know,” Shamal replied, sounding tired and exasperated. “She wants to tell us both together.”

“I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Shoichi…” Shamal sighed. “Your anger is justified. But reconsider holding a grudge for the rest of your life. She’s the only close living relative you have left. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“I have you and Spanner,” Shoichi said. “And my friends, who are actually there for me.”

Silence from Shamal’s end. He could hear him drumming his fingers on his bookshelf. “She’s sleeping on the couch tonight. Just as a heads’ up.”

“Whatever.”

“Can your boyfriend come in?”

“Yes,” Shoichi said immediately, feeling guilty now that he had left him in the living room. He heard the door open and shut. Soft footsteps across the room, and then someone turning down the volume on the stereo. The weight of a warm body next to him, and then firm, comforting arms around his waist.

“Sorry I left you there,” Shoichi whispered, his voice cracking from crying. “It won’t happen again.”

“Okay,” Spanner said, kissing his hair. 

“I’m sorry about all of this.”

“Don’t be,” he soothed. 

Shoichi rolled over and pressed his face into Spanner’s chest. He cried until there were no more tears left, just dry sobs wracking his body. Spanner held him and kissed him the whole time, whispering comforting things in Italian to him until Shoichi felt sleep take him over.

****

Shoichi’s mouth felt like a desert in a drought when he woke up the next morning. He desperately licked his lips, and looked beside him, forcing his eyes open. Spanner was looking him with a soft smile on his face.

“Morning,” the mechanic said, stroking his cheek. 

“Good morning,” Shoichi said, blinking in the bright morning light. His stereo was still softly playing music. He’d forgotten he’d left that on. 

“How are you feeling?” Spanner asked.

“Like crap,” Shoichi said honestly. “I need to get out of the house today. Be away from Sachiyo.”

Spanner sighed, and Shoichi got the impression he wanted to say something. “What?” the redhead asked.

“I think that if she came all this way to make amends, you should at least hear her out,” Spanner said.

“You’re on her side?!”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” Spanner said, shrugging. “I’m not asking you to forgive her, or act like everything is okay again, I’m not. Just saying to hear her out.”

Shoichi eyed him, licking his lips again. 

“She came a long way,” Spanner said gently, tucking some hair behind Shoichi’s ear. “That’s a sign she really cares, right?”

Shoichi melted a bit. “Maybe,” he said. “Are you mad at me?”

“No,” Spanner said, sitting up and kissing his hair. “Promise.”

“That makes everything better, then,” he said. “If I listen to what she has to say, will you take me to the diner and tell me how handsome I am?”

Spanner laughed. “Whatever you want,” he chuckled, kissing him on the mouth this time.

“Thanks,” he said, feeling significantly cheered up now. “Now I need to go drink something, badly.”

They climbed out of bed, still dressed in the clothes they’d worn to the concert, which were now creased and rumbled. He opened the door, the creak in the hinges signaling their exit, and walked down the hall, into the kitchen. He’d heard them talking, so he knew they were awake. 

“Morning,” Sachiyo said. The kitchen was tiny, so there was no room for a table in it. Both her and Shamal were leaned against the counter, Shamal’s crutches right next to him. Shoichi felt bad for a second when he laid eyes on his sister; both her eyes were slightly red, giving her the look of someone who slept like crap the previous night.

“Morning,” he said curtly, pulling a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. He moved past Shamal like nothing in the atmosphere was making the kitchen a tense place to be, and pulled out two glasses. He handed one to Spanner and took several long gulps of the blessedly cool liquid before Sachiyo spoke again.

“I’m assuming you have plans for the day,” she said.

“Yep.”

She turned her eyes to Spanner and gave an attempt at a smile. “I don’t think I properly introduced myself,” she said. “I’m Sachiyo.”

“Spanner,” he said politely, holding out his hand for her to shake.

“I heard you speak Italian. I’ve lived there the past four and a half years.”

“Which part?”

“Sicily. ”

Shoichi was starting to get annoyed. He finished off his glass and put it in the sink. “I’m gonna go shower.”

“Wait,” Shamal cut in, speaking for the first time. “Your sister wants to talk to us before you inevitably disappear for the rest of the day.”

He remembered his conversation with Spanner, his promise to hear her out, and leaned against the fridge. “Okay.”

He looked her in the eye, the two of them having a staring contest until she got to the point. “I want you to come live with me in Italy.”

“No,” Shoichi said immediately.

“Why?” she countered.

“I have school here.”

“You can enroll in a university in Italy, a much better one. You’re smart enough.”

“My friends and boyfriend are here.”

“They can come visit you.”

Shoichi’s eyes shot to Spanner to see how he was reacting to all of this. To his surprise, he looked worried.

“Don’t worry Spanner, I’m not agreeing to any of this,” Shoichi assured, glaring at his sister, who looked incredibly frustrated now. Shoichi didn’t know what else she had expected.

“Shamal is helping me transition.”

“You can get injections at a clinic in Italy,” she pressed. “Is there some unspoken rule that says it has to be Shamal?”

Shoichi looked at the doctor next, and was taken aback by what he saw. He had expected Shamal to look indifferent, or possibly excited at the idea of Shoichi moving out after heckling him about it for the past couple years…but he looked incredibly uneasy. Like the idea of Shoichi leaving was actually upsetting to him. Shoichi was confused.

“Why won’t you even give it thought?!” Sachiyo asked.

“Because my life is here, and I’m happy here!” Shoichi shot back. “Are you even prepared to deal with my Stops? They still happen, you know. And what about your fiancée?”

“Shamal can tell me everything I need to know,” she said, glancing sharply at the doctor. “But from what I know, there isn’t much to do, just let you get through it. And Gisella is fine with it. We talked it out. Did you really think I came up with this plan without asking my partner’s permission?”

“Sorry you put so much thought into it for nothing,” Shoichi said. “I’m not going.”

“I’m going to have to insist,” Sachiyo said firmly as Shoichi was walking out of the kitchen.

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Because we’re family.”

“Not anymore.”

He had done his part. He heard her out like he promised, and now he wanted to leave. He took Spanner’s hand and pulled him back into his bedroom. He shut the door and sighed loudly. This was way too much stress considering it wasn’t even noon yet.

“I did my part,” he said to Spanner.

“You did,” Spanner said, ruffling his hair, looking agitated.

“I’m not going, you can stop looking worried,” he said, kissing Spanner’s forehead.

“She didn’t sound like you had much of a choice,” Spanner said softly, cracking a weak smile.

“I’m. Not. Going,” he said, emphasizing each and every word. “I’m an adult, and if I want to stay here, I’m staying here. Shamal can’t kick me out.”

“I’ll try to put it out of my mind, then,” Spanner said. “I’m going to go home and shower, and then we can go to the diner.”

“Sounds good,” Shoichi said with a soft smile. “I’ll do the same. We can meet in thirty minutes.”

They kissed, long and hard, and Spanner disappeared into the sunlight. Shoichi had only just gotten the dots to stop dancing in his eyes from staring at it for too long before Shamal came into his room, not bothering to knock this time.

“I could’ve been changing!” Shoichi griped as he shut the door, plopping down on his comforter.

Shamal ignored him. “She just left,” he said. “To go get food. We have about twenty minutes before she gets back.”

“Okay?”

“Where’s Spanner?”

“He left.”

“How the hell did he - never mind. You really don’t want to leave?” Shamal asked, looking, Shoichi dared to think, hopeful.

“No.”

“I had no idea she was gonna ask that of you,” Shamal said, sitting next to him on the bed. 

“I’m surprised you’re not going along with it,” Shoichi said.

“Give me more credit,” Shamal said. “I mean, I joke a lot, but…” He looked uncomfortable now. “You and I, we have this nice thing going. I told your mom I’d make a crappy guardian, and I still stand by that, but…it’s kind of nice.”

“I can’t believe I’m actually hearing this!” Shoichi said, honestly stunned.

Shamal rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he wanted to exit the conversation right now.

“I mean, if Sachiyo dragged me off, I’d be officially out of your hair, and you’d be guilt-free,” Shoichi continued. “You’ll have kept your promise to mom, and gotten your life back.”

“I know,” Shamal said, standing up. “You’ve officially broken my 'not-giving-a-damn’ streak.”

Shoichi couldn’t help but laugh as Shamal left the room. The pervy doctor had grown on him too, if he was honest with himself. He still frustrated him beyond all reason, but it wasn’t all bad.

He hurried through his shower, trying to beat Sachiyo. He heard her voice in the living room when he came out of his bathroom and texted Spanner, asking him to sneak him out. Dating an alien had its perks. 

_'Be there in five,’_ was Spanner’s response. Then he sent out a text to Gokudera and Tsuna, asking them to meet them at the diner. The more support he was surrounded by right now, the better he would feel.

Twenty minutes later found him and Spanner in the diner, his blonde boyfriend eating more milkshake fries when Tsuna and Gokudera walked into the restaurant in a gust of cold air. It was flurrying outside. 

“You ordered without us?!” Gokudera asked incredulously. 

“I was starving!” Shoichi said as he bit into his burger.

“Whatever, move over, your highness,” Gokudera said, taking his gloves off. Shoichi moved his plate down the table, Tsuna taking a seat next to Spanner. Tsuna ordered for both of them and Gokudera preoccupied himself by counting sugars. It was easy-going conversation until:

“So what have you guys been up since last night?” Tsuna asked, yawning. “We were still asleep when we got Shoichi’s texts.”

A beat, and then, “Well, my sister showed up.”

Tsuna stared at him mid-yawn, hand frozen to his mouth, and Gokudera looked up, seeming no longer interested in Splenda. They had never met her, and of course Shoichi didn’t talk about her that much, but they knew the background story and Shoichi’s feelings about it.

“The one from Italy?!” Tsuna asked.

“The one and only.”

“We have a lot in common, Irie,” Gokudera smirked proudly. “I also have a sister in Italy I fucking hate.”

“What happened?” Tsuna asked. Spanner merely watched the conversation silently.

“Long story short, she wants me to move to Italy with her,” Shoichi groaned. “She seems pretty insistent on it, which makes me uncomfortable.”

“I wonder why now, of all times.”

“She’s just tired of me ignoring her and wants to make amends,” Shoichi said, stealing some of Spanner’s fries. “But she’s not gonna get me on her good side by insisting I move to Italy.”

“I don’t want you to go,” Tsuna said, fixing brown doe eyes on him.

“You already know where I stand,” Spanner added.

“Do whatever you want,” Gokudera said, trying to act indifferent, but Shoichi could tell he didn’t mean it. 

“Did Spanner see her?” Tsuna asked. “What is she like?”

Spanner shrugged. “I don’t have an opinion. I just want her to stop pressuring Sho.”

“I’m not going anywhere, guys,” Shoichi said. He didn’t even need to think about it. He knew for a fact he didn’t want to leave. And that was the end of it.

****

True to Shamal’s predictions, Shoichi stayed away from the house as long as he could. Everyone knew what he was doing, and Shoichi could see it, and was glad nobody complained when he continued to come up with various activities for them to do all livelong day. Considering they had been at a concert the night before, he really appreciated them putting up with him.

Tsuna and Gokudera lasted until late evening, a couple hours after the sun had set. “Mom wants me home for dinner,” Tsuna said, hopping off the swing. “Sorry, Shoichi.”

“It’s no problem,” he said, and it wasn’t. “Thanks for hanging out.”

“No problem,” he said. Gokudera waved a ringed hand and they set off together. For some reason, Shoichi was sad to see them go. Why was he melancholic all of a sudden?

He put it out of his mind, blaming it on stress. He and Spanner walked back to the clinic, cold to the bone by the time they got back. Hanging out in a park in winter was a bad idea.

He felt very wrong when they approached the front door, his anxiety easing up to five. Shamal and Sachiyo could be heard inside, their voices muffled, but loud enough to be heard outdoors.

“You can’t take him if he doesn’t want to go!” Shamal argued. It was the first time Shoichi had ever heard him argue against a woman.

“He’s my brother, I can do what I want,” she said. “I’m gonna help him get his passport renewed. A nice, new photo will do wonders for his confidence.”

“You’re being unreasonable! Do you really think if you drag him to a foreign country to live with someone he doesn’t know, it’s gonna make everything between you two hunky-dory?”

“This isn’t good,” Spanner muttered next to him.

“N-No, it’s not,” Shoichi said. His anxiety was at ten now.

“My mom would want us all to be together!”

“Your mom specifically asked me to take care of him!”

“And you do that so well,” Sachiyo argued, sounding venomous now. “By locking him out while you bring God-knows-who into this place?”

Shoichi’s breathing was a bit heavy now. “Spanner, I need to leave,” he said. “I can’t do this. I can’t listen to this.”

“Okay, okay,” Spanner said. “We can go to my place.”

“Spanner, I don’t wanna go with her.” He was shaking now, and not from the night December air.

“You don’t have to,” Spanner said firmly. Shoichi recognized the attempt to keep him grounded, and he wished it was working.

“I know what’s best for him!” Sachiyo scoffed, and her voice sounded so much closer now. The darkness was invading his vision, and he just barely felt Spanner’s hands on his shoulders.

“Shoichi, come on, stay with me!” Spanner said in a panicked voice. “Please, baby, come on!”

He pressed his lips to Shoichi’s, and he wished he was in the state of mind to enjoy it.

Suddenly a new voice rang out, deep and clear, and it chilled Shoichi deeper than anything had that night.

“Just 'business partners’, huh?” said a man that Shoichi instantly recognized as Gamma, a nasty sneer on his face. Gamma was here, on earth, standing in front of the clinic, his Black Spell outfit making him stand out quite horribly on this little suburban street.

Suddenly the door to the clinic opened, Shamal and Sachiyo yelling at each other.

The last thing Shoichi registered was Spanner frozen in fear on the spot, staring at Gamma, while Gamma’s eyes darted between them and the stunned figures of his sister and guardian.

Then everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

Everything was white. He was surrounded by white. No walls, no ceiling, no floor…and yet he was able to walk. There was solid ground under his feet, his shoes tapping softly as he walked, but there was nothing around.

It was like a dream. A blissful, quiet dream. He didn’t know why he was here, but he thought, he could be content to stay here for a long while. It was safe here. Warm. 

He sat down, leaning against nothing, but still feeling a wall against his back. It was neither hard nor soft. It was just there. A perfect support for him to lean against.

But what was this place? Was it Heaven? He looked down at his hands and feet. Everything looked normal on him. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, and a white shirt with the large print of “B + P” on it. He recognized this outfit.

 _‘This is what I was wearing when I moved,’_ he thought. On that day he left his mother’s home with Shamal. Did that mean that…? He touched his chest and his face, and took off his glasses. No, they were his light blue frames. 

_'This is so strange.’_

He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Sleeping sounded nice right now. He wondered if he should be worried that he didn’t know where he was. No, he didn’t feel like being worried right now.

Suddenly he heard footsteps. A steady beat, like this person was calm and confident in where they were going. He opened his eyes and black boots appeared out of the white. Then green coveralls, tied around a man’s waist. Then a torso covered by a white T-Shirt. Then a man. Blonde hair with a curl, kind, light green eyes, and a smile around a lollipop.

He was very handsome, Shoichi thought. Who was he?

“Hello,” the man said softly, smiling down at him, like they were very familiar with each other.

“H-Hello,” Shoichi said, feeling himself blush. This attractive man was talking to him? How could be so lucky?

“I’m relieved I found you,” the man said, coming closer. He knelt down in front of him, twisting the candy around in his mouth with his tongue.

“Am I lost?” Shoichi asked, confused.

“In a way,” the man said.

“Oh…” he said. “Is my family worried about me?”

“Very much,” he said patiently.

“I’m really sorry,” Shoichi said. “I didn’t mean to get lost, honest.”

“No one blames you,” he replied.

“But who are you?” Shoichi asked, intrigued. “How do you know my family?”

“We’re quite close, you and I,” he said, coming out of his kneeling position to sit cross-legged across from Shoichi.

Shoichi couldn’t help but smile. “No way,” he said. “Why would you be close to someone like me?”

“Why not?” he asked, his smile getting bigger, but his eyes seemed a bit…sad now.

“Well, you seem older,” Shoichi said. “And you’re really gorgeous. And very kind, from what I can tell.”

“And I could definitely say the same about you,” he said.

“But really, who are you?” Shoichi asked. He was so curious!

His smile was definitely sad now. He didn’t like seeing this man sad. Something pulled in his chest - he wanted to comfort him. But he didn’t know him!

“My name is Spanner,” he answered. “I’m your lover.”

“You must be joking!” Shoichi laughed. “I’ve never had a lover before, much less someone as beautiful as you!”

“But it’s true!” Spanner insisted.

“Oh, I see,” Shoichi answered. “Well, if you say so, I’ll take your word for it. Did you come to find me because I’m lost?”

“Yes,” Spanner answered. “Your family misses you, and so do I.”

“How do we get back?”

“Unfortunately that’s something only you can do.” Spanner looked close to tears now.

“Well, if it means seeing you again, I’d love to go back,” Shoichi said, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him. “Having someone like you waiting for me must be pleasant.”

He didn’t know why, but that caused tears to start rolling. No, no, no, he didn’t want this! He wanted him to smile again! “Spanner, why are you crying?!”

“I just…don’t want you to be lost anymore,” Spanner said, wiping fervently at his face. “Come back home, okay?”

“Okay, I can try,” Shoichi said, though he really didn’t know how. “Will you be there waiting for me?”

Suddenly Spanner glitched, like a hologram starting to fade. He jumped.

“Yes,” Spanner said after a long pause, looking at him with those beautifully intense eyes. “I’ll cook for you, and hold you close to me. And tell you I love so much, it’ll be too much.”

“Okay!”

Spanner embraced him tightly, and Shoichi wrapped his arms around him in turn. Spanner was starting to fade now. He didn’t want him to go away.

“No, don’t leave!” he pleaded, burying his face into his shirt.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Spanner said. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” Shoichi promised. He didn’t know how to keep that promise, or how to get back, but if it meant seeing Spanner…

Spanner disappeared in a gentle wave of pixels and sparks. Shoichi was left embracing empty space, but he wasn’t ready to let go yet. When he finally moved his arms, it was to wipe away his own tears.

****

The Black Spell uniform itched. It was too constricting, and it was too hot in this room. It was also pitch black, the only light was a small spotlight, focused solely on him. He could hear movement around him, other people watching with curiosity and morbid amusement as he awaited his punishment. 

“Spanner of Black Spell,” came Gamma’s voice. Spanner could just barely make him out. He stood tall and proud, keeping his face impassive. He wouldn’t give these people the pleasure of seeing him flinch. “You’ve been called to this disciplinary hearing in front of your peers on the following charges. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“Unauthorized declaration of your intergalactic status and motivations to a human,” Gamma said. “Unauthorized and taboo intimate relations to said human.”

A few people gasped softly. 

“Forbidden use of Vererity government technology, which you hacked into, I might add,” Gamma snarled. Spanner held back a smirk, but really, he was pretty proud of himself for that one. “To go into the subconscious of said human to interact with him.”

“You’ve been a busy one,” said a low voice. Spanner recognized it as a man named Genkishi. 

“Have I missed anything?” Gamma asked.

“Nope, I think that’s it,” Spanner said casually. He could really use a lollipop right about now.

“Given my own eyewitness account and physical evidence against you, including the footage from Simulation, we find you guilty as charged,” Gamma said, his voice echoing off the walls. “I’m open to suggestions on how to punish him.”

“Throw him into the slammer!” came the voice of Nosaru. “He’s inconvenienced you so much!”

“Seconded,” said Tazaru. 

“I don’t think we need to go that far,” said the voice of a man Spanner didn’t know anything about, Nigella. “He’s separated from his human, that’s punishment enough.”

Spanner was surprised to hear someone say something like that. He wasn’t going to complain, however.

“Did you not hear the charges?” Gamma asked.

“I heard them fine,” he responded. “You also know better than anybody that being separated from somebody you love is worse than death.”

A long, hard silence stretched over the room. Spanner could sense everyone was afraid to talk.

“Fine,” Gamma said finally. “You’re on house arrest for a year. You’ll be given an ankle shackle to wear, and if you don’t do anything to piss us off, we might take it off after six months. You can go anywhere you want, but you’re confined to Vererity for the year. You’re not to go anywhere near Simulation or any other ship, and you’ll report for your usual Black Spell duties apart from ship repair. No communication with earth, especially your human, whatsoever.”

“You’re being much too soft, Gamma,” someone reprimanded from the back.

“I’m not done,” Gamma said. “Your human, and everyone you had contact with on earth during your stay, has had their memories erased. To them, you never existed.”

Spanner wasn’t really afraid of the punishment until Gamma said that. Those words washed over him in a cold wave, and suddenly, for the first time since being captured, he was scared beyond belief, and he wanted to be sick. He had expected this, Shoichi didn’t remember him when he’d visited his dreams, but this was still hitting him hard. Hearing it made it official. 

“No,” he pleaded, swallowing hard. “Anything but that.”

“Court is adjourned,” Gamma said with a smirk in his voice.

 _'No,’_ his mind demanded, feeling more helpless than he ever had in his life.

_'No!’_

The light started to fade.

_'No.’_

_'No.’_

Darker still.

_'Shoichi.’_

_'No!!’_

He was left in pitch dark.

_'NO.’_

****

“No, no, no!” Shoichi woke up upon hearing his voice muttering. His eyes flashed open and he sat up, rubbing his head. He’d been having a bad dream, but he couldn’t remember what it was about.

“Shoichi?!” came a frantic voice. Shamal ran into the bedroom, his shirt haphazardly thrown on, his tie askew. His cast was gone now. “You’re awake!”

“Yeah, I’m awake!” he said, falling over from the hard hug Shamal gave him. “Since when do you hug me?!”

“Since you’ve been out like a light for five months!” Shamal said, hitting him on the back of the head. “You scared the crap out of me!”

“Five months, holy cow…” Shoichi said, staring outside. The window was open. It was gearing toward summer now, hot outside, a breeze wafting in through the window. “Why did I…why did I Stop?”

“Who the hell knows?” Shamal asked.

“Was I stressed?”

“Aren’t you always?” Shamal said, leaving the room.

“Hey wait, where’s Sachiyo?” he called after him.

“Went back home,” Shamal said down the hallway. “Decided after two months straight she couldn’t deal with it and left.”

Shoichi knew he should feel angry. After all that fuss about taking him to Italy, and she leaves when the going gets rough. But he didn’t have it in him. There was something else nagging at him…like there was something he should remember. What was it?

“I would call your friends today if I were you,” Shamal said, reappearing in the doorway. He looked much more put together now.

“Oh yeah, my friends!” he said, jumping out of bed. He stumbled a bit, but managed to find his phone. It was a mess. Sixty-eight missed calls, 107 text messages, and one voicemail, all from his friends. He skimmed the texts. It was a lot of 'Miss you’ and 'Hope you wake up soon’ and 'Let’s party as soon as you wake up, yeah?’ It made him feel good. He hoped they were still around.

He called Tsuna and his heart beat wildly when he heard him answer. “Tsunayoshi?”

“Shoichi!!” he screamed. “Oh my God, when?!”

“Ten minutes ago,” he said. “I haven’t finished reading the texts, but thank you, so much.”

“Gokudera and I will be right over, don’t move!” Tsuna yelled. Shoichi laughed as Tsuna hung up. He was so relieved! His friends were still around, and he was so happy!

He cleared the missed calls from his phone without checking them, it was too many. He dialed his passcode for his voicemail, and instantly regretted checking it, his heart sinking like a stone.

“Shoichi, it’s me,” came Sachiyo’s voice. She sounded disheartened. Depressed. “I wanted to apologize for what I did. It was wrong of me to try to take you to Italy with me. You’ve been Stopped for over two months now, and I…I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get you to open up to me, and I don’t know…” A shuddering breath. “I don’t know how to deal with this. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. My wedding is in June. You and Shamal are both invited. Please believe me Shoichi, I am so sorry. I love you, little brother.”

The voicemail ended. He hadn’t been expecting it, but a smile broke out over his face.

“The hell are you smiling about?” Shamal asked teasingly. 

“I don’t know,” Shoichi said, feeling peaceful suddenly. She finally admitted it. She finally said it, after all these years, and for some reason, that was the closure Shoichi needed. He didn’t know it until now, but it felt right. “Hey Shamal, is it okay if I make a call real quick? It’s long distance.”

“Whatever,” the doctor said, waving his hand. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Okay.”

He dialed the number, the one he thought he’d never touch in his life. He pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

A smile. “Hey, sis.”

They talked for a half hour. It was on shaky legs, it wasn’t perfect, but Shoichi was willing to move forward now, and Sachiyo was willing to go along for the ride. She was happy that he had woken up before her wedding.

“Are you gonna come?”

“I don’t know yet,” he said, running fingers through his hair. He definitely needed a haircut now. “It’s not because of you, honest. I just…I don’t know yet.”

“Keep me updated,” she said, sounding happy. “But I gotta go now. Talk to you soon?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Soon.”

He hung up, feeling uneasy again. That feeling that something was missing was back, but he couldn’t put his damn finger on it.

He opened his closet, looking for something to wear. A box he didn’t recognize stood in the corner, covered in dust. He dragged it out, his fingers leaving imprints, and opened it.

It was a guitar. A beautiful guitar, looking as if it had never been removed from the box.

“Hey Shamal?” he called loudly, his voice wavering, and he didn’t know why. Thankfully he heard footsteps on the stairs, and several seconds later, the doctor appeared.

“What?”

“Where did this come from?”

“Isn’t that a birthday present from your sister? It came in the mail a week after you Stopped.”

“O-Oh…I guess that would explain it,” he said, gently stroking the wood. The guitar was gorgeous. Shamal left again, and he closed the box with shaky fingers. He couldn’t stand to look at it right now for some reason. He’d thank his sister later for the wonderful present.

He showered and put on some clean clothes. Right as he finished brushing his teeth, he heard the doorbell ring. He excitedly ran down the stairs and found Tsuna and Gokudera at the door. 

“You’re awake!” Tsuna said, colliding with him in hard hug.

“I’m so glad to see you again!” he said, hugging his friend tightly. Gokudera stood outside the doorway, smirking. “Good to have you back.”

“Thank you,” Shoichi said.

“Come on, we’re going to the diner, on us,” Tsuna said, tugging Shoichi outside.

“Okay, okay!” he said happily. “Shamal, I’m leaving for a bit!”

“Good!”

“Just let me run upstairs for my phone,” Shoichi said, starting up the stairway again.

“Hurry up, your highness,” Gokudera said.

Shoichi stopped on the stairway, feeling a wave of…something. Sadness? Nostalgia?

“Why did you call me that?” he asked, turning to look at him.

Gokudera looked confused. “Not really sure,” he said. “It just came out.”

He grabbed his phone from his room. He hated Stopping so much, it always threw him off. He was lucky to have Tsuna and Gokudera around to help catch him up. 

He slipped his shoes on, trying to shake off this sad feeling, and shut the door behind him. Shamal was okay, his friends remembered him, his sister was fine, so what the hell was this about?

“So catch me up on - ” He stopped mid-sentence, looking with wide eyes at the front of the clinic.

“What’s wrong?” Tsuna asked, following his gaze.

There, leaned up against the front of the building, was his bike. It looked a bit worse for wear, a bit rusted in places, with bits of grass stuck to it, but it was nonetheless his bike.

After that, Shoichi couldn’t stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. He didn’t understand why, couldn’t understand why. He just cried.

****

Shamal asked him repeatedly if he was okay enough to go to school when the end of summer came. He was feeling more than okay. He wanted to graduate with his friends, and worked his ass off all summer to get caught up. He hadn’t Stopped since his awakening in May, and everything had gone smoothly since then. He saw his friends regularly, had even gone to Italy with Shamal to see his sister and her wedding. He got the courage to play the guitar too, and he’d learned a few songs. He was back on track, and felt he was more than ready to continue his education.

His phone was still broken, though. He’d discovered a couple weeks after waking up that he couldn’t access the photos on his phone. It was password protected, and he didn’t remember putting on that setting, or what the passcode could possibly be. He tried continuously all summer, but nothing.

It was a beautiful August morning, and he was racing around the house trying to get ready for school. He was almost late. He’d dreamt about a strange figure, a beautiful being of light with intense green eyes. Who had that person been? As a result, he’d slept through his alarm.

“Don’t forget your appointment in two days,” Shamal said, drinking from a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “I’m off to school.”

“See you later,” Shamal said. “If you see a sock on the door, then - ”

“Oh, don’t!” Shoichi griped, having the usual non-existent patience for Shamal’s antics. He slammed the door and ran down the street. He saw two familiar figures up ahead and raced to catch up.

“Tsunayoshi! Gokudera!”

They both turned around. “Hey, Shoichi!” Tsuna said cheerfully.

“Welcome, king,” Gokudera said.

They walked the rest of the way to the school together, the chatter and yelling of the students as they approached campus a comforting sound. The summer hadn’t been easy - that feeling of something important being amiss was still there, but he’d gotten used to it.

He slid into his seat, overhearing a conversation between two girls behind him.

“Yeah, I saw him when my dad went to pick up his car this morning, he’s really cute,” one of them said.

“A hot mechanic, that’s a new one. I’m gonna have to swing into town today to take a look,” the other added, giggling.

 _'This town needs better things to talk about,’_ he thought with an amused smile. Class started, and everyone fell silent.

The day dragged on, and Shoichi was having the hardest time focusing. He kept thinking about his dream. He didn’t know why his mind felt the need to keep honing in on that. He usually never gave his dreams any thought, especially the weird ones, but this was different. He decided he’d go to the lake after class. It was his quiet spot, his thinking place. He could mull over this then all he wanted.

He should have expected Shamal to ruin his plans, though. Right as he was exiting class, his phone rang.

“Hello?” he answered, stepping out into the noisy hallway. He put one finger to his ear in an attempt to hear better.

“Oi,” came Shamal’s voice. “I need to run into town today, my car is acting funny.”

“Alright?” he asked, not sure why Shamal was telling him this.

“’Alright’?” he asked. “Well, I want you to come with me, math geek. If the mechanic tries to rip me off, you’ll know.”

“But I wanted to go to the lake today!” Shoichi complained, stepping outside. He could hear better out here.

“What’s there?”

“Nothing - well, I have a lot on my mind,” Shoichi said.

“Please?” Shamal begged.

“Fine,” Shoichi groaned heavily. “Meet me in front of the school?”

He hung up, hoping Shamal wouldn’t turn this into a skirt-chasing endevour. He pulled his bag over his shoulder and stood under a tree until he saw his car pull up to the curb. 

The ride was peaceful - soft music from the stereo and the window rolled down, Shoichi’s elbow hanging out, chin resting on his arm, the wind blowing his bangs. College students could be seen all over as they drove the ten minutes from campus to the mechanic, the doctor checking out women at the stoplights. Shoichi didn’t have the energy to kick him. 

They pulled up to the garage and Shoichi stepped out, feeling a bit out of place. 

“Be right with you,” came a voice from the garage. 

“What do you say while we wait, we go into that cafe over there?” Shamal asked, jerking his thumb in the direction behind them, down the street. “I bet there’s _belle donne_ in there!”

“Like I care about such things,” Shoichi sighed.

Suddenly a man emerged from the garage. Shoichi looked up at him, and immediately, he didn’t know how he could tell, but it was an instant, _'There_ you are! Where have you _been?!’_ reaction, his soul screaming it so loudly, but it couldn’t be heard!

The man stared straight back at him, a smile on his face, as if he was seeing a loved one after a long, long absence. 

“You two know each other?” Shamal asked, glancing between them.

“No,” the mechanic said after a heavy pause, and it looked like it pained him to say it. “What can I help you with?”

 _'But I do know you, I do!’_ Shoichi’s mind was screaming. Where did he know him from?! This was it, this was the missing piece, this was it! After all this time, but - 

“Damn it!” Shoichi yelled in frustration. Shamal looked at him, and Shoichi suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing he’d said that out loud without meaning it. Shamal raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless continued with the mechanic.

“I can have it ready in forty minutes,” he heard him say.

 _“Perfetto!”_ Shamal said, brushing bangs out of his eyes. “Shoichi, let’s go.”

“Wait a moment, go on ahead,” Shoichi said. “I’ll catch up.”

“Do I even want to know?” Shamal asked.

“I’m fine, I swear. I’ll catch up,” Shoichi repeated.

Shamal shrugged and walked down the street. The redhead turned his gaze to the mechanic, who was staring at him intently. Longingly, even.

“I know you,” Shoichi said, desperately trying to remember. “I know you, please tell me who you are.”

The mechanic smiled. “I’m not supposed to do this,” he said. “Forgive my selfishness.”

Before Shoichi could respond, the mechanic touched his forehead. As soon as the skin made contact, a rush of memories came flooding back to him, hitting him hard. He stumbled forward, and he was caught in strong arms. He had the vague sense of a whimpering sound emitting from his own mouth, but he was too busy watching the images flash by in seconds behind closed eyelids.

It stopped after what felt like minutes. His face was wet and he was sobbing. When had he started crying?

“Shoichi,” the mechanic said. Oh, his voice, and his name. It was like being reunited with a long lost lover. Which, he had been.

“Spanner,” he whispered, looking up at him. Relief flooded through Spanner’s face, and he was embraced tightly again, lips to his hair.

“You remember,” he breathed.

“I remember,” Shoichi said, a smile breaking out across his wet face. He wrapped his arms around Spanner and held him as tightly as he could. “What happened?”

“Gamma came to earth looking for me,” Spanner said. “He saw me kiss you right before you went into a Stop. I was arrested minutes after you fell unconscious, and I couldn’t even…” He took a deep breath. “I couldn’t hold you, or wait until you woke up, or anything. I was brought back to Vererity, along with my ship.”

“They didn’t hurt you, did they?” Shoichi asked.

“No, no, no,” Spanner soothed, his voice a deep, comforting rumble. “But they erased the memories of everyone I was in contact with on earth. Including you.”

“That’s why I felt like something was missing!” Shoichi said, more loudly than he’d meant to, clarity washing over him like a rainbow after a storm. “I knew something was off, I knew something was gone, but I couldn’t…I couldn’t remember!”

“I was under house arrest after my hearing,” Spanner continued. “I couldn’t leave my planet for an entire year. I had an ankle bracelet and everything.”

“But it’s…it’s only been five months,” Shoichi said.

Spanner smirked at this. “I had hacked into my government’s computer systems to enter your subconscious,” the blonde said. “I think I can my work my way around a little bracelet.”

“You’re so badass,” Shoichi said, wiping tears off of his face. “My badass, smart mechanic.”

“Damn right.”

“And then what, you hijacked Simulation and came back?”

“Nah,” Spanner said, looking nostalgic for a second. “There are tracking devices on all the ships. They would’ve found me out before I even left the port. My grandfather and I built a new ship, just for me. I came here in that.”

“You built a ship?!”

“Yep,” Spanner beamed. “I named it No Control.”

“I like that,” Shoichi said. “I can’t believe your grandfather helped you become a fugitive.”

“He was against it,” he said. “Not for legal reasons, but he didn’t think it would be good for me. I wasn’t supposed to revive your memories, you see. This was just supposed to be a 'watch from afar’ kind of deal. But I couldn’t live with that.”

“I’m glad,” Shoichi said, pulling him in for another kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you!”

“What happens if Gamma finds out you left?”

“Oh, he’s okay with it,” Spanner said with a smile. “Yuni came back.”

“Yuni? What happened?”

Spanner pressed a kiss to his forehead. “That’s a long, boring story I don’t want go into right now. So later, _topolina._ But Gamma revised my paperwork to say I was permanently stationed on earth.”

“That’s aces,” Shoichi said happily, burying his face into his chest. “And speaking of hacking, can you take a look at my cell phone later?”

“Sure. Oh, I got a new addition to my tattoo,” Spanner said, pointing at his neck. Shoichi looked; there was now an S in the middle of the odd design.

“The S is for me?”

“Obviously.”

Shoichi kissed him breathless. 

****

The memories of Shamal and his friends were restored shortly after Shoichi’s. He graduated college with his friends, as valedictorian in fact. He moved in with Spanner a week after graduation, and Shamal celebrated for three days straight. It was in Spanner’s old apartment, of course. 

“I like this place,” Spanner had said, looking around for the second time at the sea of brown boxes. “It holds nice memories.”

“Indeed,” Shoichi had agreed, kissing his shoulder.

The December after Shoichi was reunited with his love, on his birthday in fact, Spanner proposed. It was at the park, on a rainy afternoon, Gokudera and Tsuna looking on in awe with bated breath. It seemed rainy afternoons at the park had a tradition of holding something special for them. 

Of course Shoichi said yes.


End file.
